Mechanical circulatory support

Mechanical circulatory support devices can temporarily or permanently maintain proper blood flow by supporting or replacing the heart’s pumping function. They can also add oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the blood while the heart and lungs rest. These devices deliver critical, life-sustaining support for people with advanced heart failure, respiratory failure, and other severe conditions involving the heart or lungs. MCS can also be used for patients awaiting a heart transplant or lung transplant.

Key benefits of MCS include:

• Support for better heart and lung function 
• Improved survival rates for people who are critically ill  
• Enhanced quality of life
• Aid in heart and lung function recovery in certain people

Penn Medicine’s mechanical circulatory support program offers the most innovative heart and lung support options available today. We’re the only center in the region and one of the few nationwide that uses a minimally invasive approach (lateral thoracotomy) to implant devices in certain patients, improving recovery and delivering excellent surgical outcomes. We also specialize in treating high-risk patients, including those turned away by other hospitals and referred to us for advanced heart or lung failure therapies.

When you choose Penn Medicine for mechanical circulatory support, you’ll benefit from a team with years of experience. As a nationally top-ranked hospital for cardiac care, our heart surgeons perform over 3,000 procedures each year. We provide more treatment options for heart and lung care than any other program in our region. We work with every major MCS device and offer minimally invasive options.

The Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania—Penn Presbyterian Medical Center has received the Excellence in Life Support Award by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) and is recognized as a Gold Level Center of Excellence. The Penn Lung Rescue program meets or exceeds ELSO’s standards. We’re also recognized for our exceptional commitment to evidence-based practices and quality measures, patient satisfaction, continuing education, staff training, and ongoing clinical care.

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital has received the Silver Level Path to Excellence award from ELSO.

We’re also known for:

• Treating high-risk patients: With our unmatched expertise, many high-risk patients are referred to us for advanced heart failure and respiratory failure therapies when other hospitals are unable to offer treatment.
• Leading the region in ECMO: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a lifesaving therapy for people with complex heart or lung conditions. We are one of the highest-volume centers using ECMO support and offer mobile ECMO to rescue patients too sick to travel.
• Device optimization: We’re the only center in the region that routinely optimizes devices using hemodynamic and echocardiographic data at three and 12 months after surgery. This approach helps your ventricular assist device function at its best. Our proactive method maximizes device support and improves patient symptoms.
• Clinical innovation: We’ve been involved in clinical trials for every major mechanical circulatory support device and continue to lead groundbreaking studies. Our surgeons and cardiologists are national leaders, shaping the design and advancement of MCS therapy in both medical societies and technological development.