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Risks And Benefits Of Using A Commercially Available Ventricular Assist Device For Failing Fontan Cavopulmonary Support: A Modeling Investigation, Masoud Farahmand, Minoo N. Kavarana, Ethan Kung

Publications

Fontan patients often develop circulatory failure and are in desperate need of a therapeutic solution. A blood pump surgically placed in the cavopulmonary pathway can substitute the function of the absent sub-pulmonary ventricle by generating a mild pressure boost. However, there is currently no commercially available device designed for the cavopulmonary application; and the risks and benefits of implanting a ventricular assist device (VAD), originally designed for the left ventricular application, on the right circulation of failing Fontan patients is not yet clear. Moreover, further research is needed to compare the hemodynamics between the two clinically-considered surgical configurations for cavopulmonary …