Mechanical circulatory support devices
We use the following devices to support your child’s heart and lungs as he or she awaits transplant in our Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, which offers the most advanced critical care, with access to the very latest life-sustaining technology. Some children need just lung support, while others need both heart and lung support. Devices are placed during a surgery. We use two main types of support devices, which sit outside of the body and are connected to your child’s circulatory system via tubes through the skin.
- Oxygenator. These devices stand in for your child’s lungs. They take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. They can be used safely in combination with a pulmonary to left atrium device (PLAD), a device that helps move blood from the lungs to the left atrium (chamber) of the heart.
- Oxygenator with right ventricular assist device (RVAD). If your child needs both heart and lung support, we use an oxygenator with a pump, or RVAD. The oxygenator replaces the function of the lungs, and the RVAD helps the heart pump and circulate blood. We’re a national leader in using VADs in children, and our heart surgeons are especially innovative in how they place VADs. We are fortunate to partner with the Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Therapies (PACT) team, who have extensive, world-renowned experience in surgical placement of VADs and medical management of patients who live with these devices.
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