• Lenard Conradi, Johannes Schirmer, Beate Reiter, Hendrik Treede, Mathias Kubik, Hermann C Reichenspurner, and Florian M Wagner.
• Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. HTUlconradi@uke.de
• Int J Artif Organs. 2010 Nov 1; 33 (11): 824-7.

IntroductionGrowing clinical experience and improved technology have led to more widespread use of ventricular assist devices in patients with end-stage heart failure.MethodsWe report the case of a patient with preexisting cardiomyopathy who arrived at our center in cardiogenic shock and received a biventricular assist device.ResultsThe new compact Abiomed Portable Circulatory Support Console facilitated mobilization of the patient which was particularly advantageous in the face of transient hemiparesis. After recovery from cardiogenic shock, device removal was performed following a bridge-to-recovery concept. He was discharged in a state of full cardiac recompensation and is back to everyday life with stable cardiac function up to 24 months after the incident.ConclusionsThis is the first report describing successful clinical use of the AB5000 assist device in combination with the portable console. Furthermore, it underlines the potential of temporary circulatory support to induce permanent myocardial recovery even in cases of preexisting cardiomyopathy.

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