Concomitant Frozen Elephant Trunk and Total Artificial Heart as a Bridge to Heart Transplantation

TL;DR

This paper presents a case where a total artificial heart and frozen elephant trunk procedure were used together to help a patient survive until heart transplantation.

Contribution

The novel approach combines two procedures to bridge patients with aortic dissection and cardiomyopathy to heart transplantation.

Findings

Combining a total artificial heart with a frozen elephant trunk procedure can serve as a bridge to heart transplantation.

The described strategy was successfully applied in a patient with aortic dissection and cardiomyopathy.

This approach is feasible in selected patients who are too ill for direct transplantation.

Abstract

Patients with cardiomyopathy and aortic dissection presents significant challenges. Some patients are too ill to go directly to transplantation and require a bridge strategy to address the cardiomyopathy and dissection. This case combines a total artificial heart with a frozen elephant trunk procedure to increase the likelihood of survival. The patient underwent transposition of the left subclavian artery to the left carotid artery prior to frozen elephant trunk combined with implantation of a total artificial heart, bridge to transplantation. The patient remained inpatient, and underwent heart transplantation, with discharge from the hospital. Bridge to transplantation in patients with dissection is feasible in selected patients.

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