Preload sensitivity in cardiac assist devices.

With implantable cardiac assist devices increasingly proving their effectiveness as therapeutic options for end-stage heart failure, it is important for clinicians to understand the unique physiology of device-assisted circulation. Preload sensitivity as it relates to cardiac assist devices is derived from the Frank-Starling relationship between human ventricular filling pressures and ventricular stroke volume. In this review, we stratify the preload sensitivity of 17 implantable cardiac assist devices relative to the native heart and discuss the effect of preload sensitivity on left ventricular volume unloading, levels of cardiac support, and the future development of continuous-flow total artificial heart technology. (Ann Thorac Surg 2013;95:373-80) (C) 2013 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons