Mechanical circulatory support for bridge to decision: which device and when to decide.

Despite the many advances in the management of patients with acute heart failure, the outcome for patients with refractory acute cardiogenic shock remains disproportionately poor. Clearly, there is a definitive role for wider application of temporary circulatory support in such patients. Questions remain as to the ideal device, the optimal duration of temporary support, and the ideal timing to bridge these patients to a long-term device. There are currently several options available for circulatory support and include surgically implanted ventricular assist devices, percutaneous assist devices, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. This review includes a brief summary of the current assist devices available along with the University of Minnesota's experience with the Levitronix CentriMag system.