Left Ventricular Assist Device Support Complicates the Exercise Physiology of Oxygen Transport and Uptake in Heart Failure

Abstract

Low-output forward flow and impaired maximal exercise oxygen uptake (VO2 max) are hallmarks of patients in advanced heart failure. The continuous-flow left ventricular assist device is a cutting-edge therapy proven to increase forward flow, yet this therapy does not yield consistent improvements in VO2 max. The science of how adjustable artificial forward flow impacts the exercise physiology of heart failure and physical O2 transport between the central and peripheral systems is unclear. This review focuses on the exercise physiology of axial continuous-flow left ventricular assist device support and the impact that pump speed has on the interactive convective and diffusive components of whole-body physical O2 transport and VO2.