Implantation of a Berlin Heart Ventricular Assist Device

Until recently the only mode of mechanical circulatory support available in North America for use as bridge to cardiac transplantation in small children was extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation. However, since 2005 the Berlin Heart pediatric ventricular assist device has been increasingly widely used for both biventricular and left ventricular support. The device is available in a wide range of sizes, allowing its use in children as small as 5 kg and as large as 60 kg. It has been applied in end-stage heart failure of both structural/congenital and myopathic etiology (including myocarditis). In the article the technique for implantation of the device will be described, with focus on certain details that facilitate safe implantation and subsequent explantation, whether in the setting of a heart transplant operation or in the setting of recovery of native heart function.