The First Pediatric Heart Transplantation Bridged by a Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device in Korea

Abstract

Treatment options for children with end-stage heart failure are limited. We report the first case of a successful pediatric heart transplantation bridged with a durable left ventricu-lar assist device in Korea. A 10-month-old female infant with dilated cardiomyopathy and left ventricular non-compaction was listed for heart transplantation. During the waiting period, the patient’s status deteriorated. Therefore, we decided to provide support with a durable left ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplantation. The patient was suc-cessfully bridged to heart transplantation with effective support and without any major adverse events.

Keywords

• transplantation
• pediatric
• cardiomyopathies
• ventricular assist device