What effect does a ventricular assist device (or VAD) have on the heart? And what effect do VADs have on how patients function in their daily lives? Researchers at University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht are trying to find answers to these questions.
Sometimes, research is practical in nature: the findings can be put into practice right away. Sometimes, research is fundamental: in this case, the findings cannot be used immediately. Although today’s patients will probably not benefit directly from this, the hope is that future patients will.
How physically fit is a patient with a VAD?
A person who receives a VAD is in poor health. Once the operation has taken place, rehabilitation starts. Research has shown that a patient with a VAD can function just as well as a patient who has had a heart transplant. He or she can once again take part in daily life. Heart and lung surgeon Prof. Jaap Lahpor jokes, “These patients are in better shape than many medical professionals.”
Can a diseased heart get better?
Sometimes doctors implant a VAD for a six-month period to give the patient’s own heart a break. “The pump takes over the work of the heart. As a result, a patient’s own heart gets a chance to recover,” Lahpor says. After six months, the hearts of only 2% of the patients have recovered to such an extent that the VAD is no longer necessary. “Other patients do show signs of recovery,” Lahpor continues, “but the original disease does not go away. Although a patient can recover from ‘a case of flu’ in the heart, the hereditary tendency is still there.”
What effect can stem cell technology have on this?
New research still has to show to what extent stem cell technology can provide a helping hand.
Sometimes doctors implant a VAD to give a patient’s own heart a break. At the same time they also inject stem cells that can develop into heart muscle. Lahpor: “We know that in the end the patient will have to have a heart transplant and we will get to work on the heart again. At that time we can study whether the stem cells did in fact develop into heart muscle. Expectations are running high. But it’s possible that in ten years time the findings will be disappointing.”