The Evolution of LVADs
LVADs have been around in some form since the 1960s, but have been used primarily as a temporary treatment to give the patient's heart a chance to improve or to keep the patient alive long enough for a donor heart to be found.
First-generation LVADs are limited by their considerable bulk and poor durability. The large size increases the risk of implantation surgery and makes the device unsuitable for smaller patients.
Recent research has demonstrated the superiority of the newer rotary, or "continuous-flow," LVADs, which are smaller and more durable than their predecessors.
Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are mechanical heart pumps used to support a failing heart in patients with advanced heart failure. LVAD technology has been under development for many years, and continues to improve. Earlier LVADs were large, loud and hospital-based. Patients couldn't go home. Today’s LVADs are smaller, more user-friendly, more durable, and designed to grant patients more independence with better quality of life.
The first LVADs were called pulsatile pumps. They mimicked the way the heart works, by filling entirely with blood and then ejecting it all at once into the aorta, before filling again.
Device manufacturers continue to improve LVAD technology with the goal of making the devices not only more reliable, but more convenient and discreet for patients. The hope is that in the future LVADs will have smaller external components including smaller drivelines, smaller controllers and longer battery life. The ultimate goal in LVAD technology, while still some years down the road, is to have all components implanted, with only an external power supply to transmit energy to an internal battery.