Off-Pump Implant of the Jarvik 2000 Ventricular Assist Device Through Median Sternotomy

Implantation of a left ventricular assist device through a median sternotomy usually requires cardiopulmonary bypass. However, the biological response to cardiopulmonary bypass is sometimes deleterious in end-stage heart failure patients, as it may compound pre-existing coagulopathy or multiorgan dysfunction. Therefore, there are potential advantages to avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass during left ventricular assist device placement. We describe a technique for off-pump implantation of the Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device (Jarvik Heart Inc, New York, NY) through a median sternotomy.