THE MEDOS HIA BIVENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE FOR BRIDGE TO RECOVERY IN FULMINANT MYOCARDITIS

Background: Successful weaning from biventricular mechanical support w ith full recovery of the myocardial function is extremely rare in fulm inant myocarditis. We report on our experience with the new MEDOS HIA ventricular assist device. Methods and Results. We used the MEDOS assi st system to support a 30-year-old woman with profound circulatory imp airment caused by acute myocarditis. The device provided adequate hemo dynamics and recovery of myocardial function. Despite anticoagulation therapy we had to change either the left or right ventricular pump cha mber because of clot formation on the surface of the outflow tract. On the 14th postoperative day a surgical reintervention was necessary fo r bleeding from the cannulation site of the pulmonary artery. After 17 days the myocardial function had recovered and we could remove the as sist system. The following parameters were measured before implantatio n of the MEDOS assist system and after weaning from circulatory suppor t: ejection fraction 15 vs. 45 %, cardiac index 0.7 vs. 2.6 L/min/m(2) , arterial pressure (systolic/diastolic/mean) 81/55/66 vs. 113/66/82 m m Hg, pulmonary artery pressure 33/25/29 vs. 34/20/28 mmHg, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure 24 vs. 19 mmHg. Conclusions. Despite severe c ardiac failure in fulminant myocarditis requiring biventricular mechan ical support full recovery of the myocardium is possible.