Robert Kroslowitz

TL;DR: The trial showed that survival rates were significantly higher with the ventricular assist device than with ECMO, and serious adverse events, including infection, stroke, and bleeding, occurred in a majority of study participants.

TL;DR: Smaller patient size, renal dysfunction, hepatic dysfunction, and biventricular assist device use were associated with mortality, whereas extracorporeal membrane oxygenation before implantation and congenital heart disease were not.

TL;DR: This limited but large preliminary North American experience with the Berlin Heart EXCOR VAD as a bridge to cardiac transplantation for children of all ages and sizes points to the feasibility of this approach.

TL;DR: The EXCOR Pediatric VAD can provide a bridge to transplant for children with SV anatomy or physiology, albeit less successfully than in children with BV.

TL;DR: The Berlin Heart IDE clinical study will be the first bridge-to-HT VAD study designed exclusively for children and is anticipated that the study will provide important information on the safety and efficacy of the Berlin Heart EXCOR Pediatric in children.