Leonardo Guimarães1, MD; Sebastien Bergeron1, MD; Mathieu Bernier1, MD; Tania Rodriguez-Gabella1, MD; David del Val1, MD; Philippe Pibarot1, PhD; Neal Eigler2, MD; William T. Abraham2,3, MD; Josep Rodés-Cabau1, MD
1. Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; 2. V-Wave, Caesarea, Israel; 3. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
Introduction
Left atrial decompression by creating an interatrial shunt has been associated with significant improvements in functional status and quality of life in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF, HFpEF)1.
The initial experience with the V-Wave shunt (V-Wave Ltd, Caesarea, Israel) showed its safety and preliminary efficacy for treating patients with HFrEF and HFpEF2,3. However, shunt narrowing/occlusion was observed in up to 50% of the patients at 12-month follow-up, secondary to early valve degeneration3. Following this initial experience, modifications were implemented in order to improve late device patency and ...