Chronic mechanical circulatory support: rehabilitation, low morbidity, and superior survival.

Because of donor scarcity, 12 (39%) of a series of 31 Novacor left ventricular assist system recipients required mechanical circulatory support for an average of 125 days before transplantation (range, 61 to 303 days). Ten received a heart transplant and all survived to discharge. Two died of infection before transplantation after 93 and 303 days of support. Significant reductions were noted from preimplantation values of right and left cardiac filling pressures. Right ventricular ejection fraction and cardiac index increased. The 4-month actuarial freedom from infection during support was 75%. Three patients benefited from chronic outpatient housing for 5, 18, and 131 days, respectively, with improvements in quality of life measures. Ten chronically supported patients participated in an intensive rehabilitative exercise program resulting in an improvement of New York Heart Association class from IV to I in 9 patients. Mean oxygen consumption, which was 10 mL.kg-1.min-1 30 days after implantation (mean exercise time, 10 minutes) had risen to 15 mL.kg-1.min-1 before transplantation (mean exercise time, 16 minutes). This series suggests that long-term circulatory support is compatible with low morbidity, significant physical and hemodynamic rehabilitation, and an outpatient setting.