The MicroMed DeBakey VAD--part I: The pump and the blood flow.

The results obtained in over 100 patients implanted with the MicroMed DeBakey VAD in several centers in Europe and USA (September 2001, M. Loebe, personal communication) demonstrate that the effectiveness of the MicroMed DeBakey VAD is comparable to that of the pulsatile devices and that it also shows some superior properties. Recently, other axial pumps--the Jarvic 2000 (72) and HeartMate II (73)--have come into clinical use. Because the patients show good tolerance of the nonpulsatile blood flow in the early postoperative period, and pulsatility increased with recovery of the left ventricle because of unloading, we believe that the axial pumps will gain wide acceptance and provide a new option in the treatment of heart failure.