Skeletal Muscle Perfusion With LVAD

Advanced heart failure (when the heart pump fails) is associated with symptoms such as shortness of breath and extreme fatigue. Some of these symptoms are simply due to failure of the pump, however abnormal regulation of blood flow to the muscles of the body is also a potential mechanism. Left ventricular assist devices are mechanical pumps used to compensate for patients with failing hearts either as a bridge to heart transplant or as long term therapy. Whether or not these pumps improve muscle flow and whether this is a determinant in the improvement of symptoms is unknown. Understanding how skeletal muscle and heart perfusion is altered in heart failure patients before and after implantation of an LVAD could provide further insight into the beneficial effects of this therapy.

Specific Aims:

To evaluate skeletal muscle and heart perfusion studies before and after LVAD implantation
To compare functional status with degree of skeletal muscle perfusion.