Clinical Experience With Sternotomy Versus Subcostal Approach for Exchange of HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist Device

BackgroundThe safety and efficacy of exchanging the HeartMate II (Thoratec Corp, Pleasanton, CA) left ventricular assist device (LVAD) through a less invasive subcostal approach remains unclear.MethodsWe reviewed the records of 17 patients who underwent exchange of their HeartMate II device at our institution since 2007. We divided the cohort into devices exchanged through a subcostal (SC) approach versus a median sternotomy (MS) approach and...