Right ventricular failure following heart transplantation--recovery after extended mechanical support

Abstract   Early graft failure, particularly right ventricular dysfunction, remains a significant determinant of early morbidity and mortality in heart transplant recipients. If conservative medical management fails to help recover cardiac allograft function, mechanical circulatory support either bridging to recovery or retransplantation remains the last option. We report on a 16-year-old patient with hypertropic nonobstructive cardiomyopathy who was weaned successfully from a right ventricular assist device (RVAD) after extended right ventricular mechanical support for three months following heart transplantation.