Left Ventricular Assist Device Activates the Transcriptional Apoptotic Profile in Human Heart

This study aimed to assess if Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) implantation can modify the apoptotic process in human heart. Cardiac biopsies were collected from end-stage heart failure pts supported with LVAD and from pts undergoing directly cardiac transplantation (HTx). An activation of apoptotic biochemical pathways was observed in LVAD pts compared to HTx. The up-regulation of anti-apoptotic factors, Bcl-2 and Hsp72, was in tune with the expected ability of the LVAD to reverse apoptosis, suggesting that cardiac apoptosis could be positively modulated.