Ventricular assist devices: The future is now

Heart failure has become a global epidemic. For advanced heart failure, a broad assortment of device options have been introduced for both acute and prolonged intervals of hemodynamic assistance. Durable implantable ventricular assist devices (VADs) in particular play a key role in the management of advanced heart failure. This review focuses specifically on the current outcomes with VAD therapy, highlights the results from pivotal clinical trials, and summarizes the various device options on the market and those in preclinical development.