J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.
ISSN 1880-1129

[Abstract] [Full Text HTML] [Full Text PDF] （in Japanese / 627KB） [Members Only]

J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 119(1): 47-54, 2018

Feature topic

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY:LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE IMPLANTATION

1) Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Suita, Japan
2) Department of Organ Transplantation, Suita, Japan
3) President Emeritus, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan
4) Chairman, Japanese Association for Clinical Ventricular Assist Systems (JACVAS), Suita, Japan

Tomoyuki Fujita1), Norihide Fukushima2), Hajime Ichikawa1), Junjiro Kobayashi1), Soichiro Kitamura3)4)

Presently in Japan, the use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) under the social insurance system is permitted only as a bridge to heart transplantation. The registered number of LVAD patients in the Japanese Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (J-MACS) is over 800, and the waiting time on the list for heart transplantation is now more than 1000 days. Approved hospitals, surgeons, and medical personnel as heart teams for LVAD implantation are all important factors in the survival of patients with end-stage heart failure until heart transplantation can be performed. For this purpose, a cooperative council for the appropriate use of LVADs has been established including 10 relevant academic associations or societies. This council has initiated educational programs for LVAD specialists including physicians, nurses, and co-medical personnel. At present, 46 hospitals and 144 surgeons (118 for adult and 26 for pediatric patients) have been approved to perform LVAD implantation surgery and provide comprehensive patient care. The registry program for all LVAD patients in Japan (J-MACS) has been functioning well under the cooperative groups including the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), related academic associations, particularly the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery, and relevant LVAD manufacturers. Infrastructure formation is urgently required in Japan for LVAD destination therapy.

<< To previous pageTo next page >>

To read the PDF file you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer.