Implantable Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Abstract

Congestive heart failure affects about 1 percent of adults in the United States¹ and is a contributing factor in over 250,000 deaths annually.² It is diagnosed in 400,000 Americans each year³ and is the primary diagnosis for over 900,000 hospitalizations per year.⁴ In 1990 the age-adjusted death rate from congestive heart failure was 106.4 per 100,000,⁵ more than that from breast cancer and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome combined.^6,7 The median survival after diagnosis is 1.7 years in men and 3.2 years in women, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 50 percent.⁸ Even though medical therapies have improved . . .