Heart failure affects millions, and some patients receive left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), mechanical pumps that reduce heart workload and can allow recovery. However, recovery after LVAD support occurs only in some patients, and the reasons were unclear.
The new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association involved 19 patients. Researchers led by Junco Warren (Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC) and Stavros Drakos (University of Utah) analyzed tissue from the left ventricular apex collected before LVAD implantation and later during device removal or transplantation. Patients were grouped as responders or non-responders based on improvements in heart function.
Before treatment, PERM1 levels were reduced in all patients. After LVAD support, PERM1 returned to near-normal only in responders, while it stayed low in non-responders. PERM1 controls how heart cells make and use energy, and recovery was linked to normalization of stress-related metabolic pathways. Warren and Drakos say this finding helps explain why some hearts recover and others do not.
Difficult words
- left ventricular assist device — mechanical pump that helps a failing heartleft ventricular assist devices, LVADs
- recovery — process of getting better after illness or injury
- responder — patient who shows improvement in healthresponders, non-responders
- metabolic — relating to how cells use energy and nutrients
- implantation — surgical placement of a device into the body
- transplantation — surgical transfer of an organ to another person
- tissue — group of similar cells in a body organ
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think some patients recovered after LVAD support while others did not?
- How could doctors use information about PERM1 to help patients with heart failure?
- If a family member needed an LVAD, what questions would you ask the medical team before the operation?
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