ReliantHeart: Forward Compatibility and TET

ReliantHeart (ReliantHeart Inc., Houston, TX, USA) HeartAssist5 (HA5) left ventricular assist device (LVAD) system is a miniaturized, implantable, second- generation axial-flow pump capable of longterm circulatory support in patients with end-stage heart failure. The device results to be the first continuous- flow LVAD ever implanted in human being. This compact axial-flow pump has been in development since 1988 named as MicroMed DeBakey [1] (MicroMed Cardiovascular Inc., Houston, TX, USA) whose design belongs to the second-generation pump category [2, 3]

2011 ACCF/AHA/HRS focused updates incorporated into the ACC/AHA/ESC 2006 guidelines for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/ American Heart Association Task Force on practice guidelines. American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac rhythm disturbance, increasing in prevalence with age. AF is often associated with structural heart disease, although a substantial proportion of patients with AF have no detectable heart disease. Hemodynamic impairment and thromboembolic events related to AF result in significant morbidity, mortality, and cost. Accordingly, the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) created a committee to establish guidelines for optimum management of this frequent and complex arrhythmia