Mechanical Circulatory Support

Background

Historically, the advancement of cardiac surgery has paralleled the development of MCS. The earliest available device was ECMO, in the form of cardiopulmonary bypass, which allowed the development of safer surgical treatment of a wide range of cardiac pathology. Numerous heart and/or lung function replacement or assist devices have been developed over the past 60 years, which in turn has allowed the continual refinement of therapy in increasingly older and more sick patients.

Current common MCS devices may be categorized into cardiac and cardiopulmonary support systems, the latter comprised of ECMO. Cardiac support systems may be divided into short-term and durable devices, which may be further subcategorized by a number of characteristics including uni- or bi-ventricular assistance, partial or full support capability, and percutaneous or surgical implantation.