Right heart failure continues to affect our clinical success with left vent
ricular assist device support. The inability to consistently predict the pr
obability of the onset of right heart dysfunction contributes to this probl
em. We have developed an aggressive approach to the management of these pat
ients in an attempt to decrease the incidence of this condition, which cont
inues to carry a very high operative mortality. (C) 2001 by The Society of
Thoracic Surgeons.