Implantation of Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) in Juvenile Landrace Swine: A LVAD Implantation Model of Pediatric Heart Failure

Wei Wang; Liying Wu; Xingchao Du; Mengda Xu; Yuan Chang; Peiyuan Li; Kai Xing; Haisheng Chen; Jiangping Song

doi:10.3791/69151

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Method Article

Implantation of Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) in Juvenile Landrace Swine: A LVAD Implantation Model of Pediatric Heart Failure

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DOI:

10.3791/69151

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January 16th, 2026

Wei Wang^*¹^,² , Liying Wu^*³ , Xingchao Du¹^,²^,⁵ , Mengda Xu¹^,² , Yuan Chang¹^,² , Peiyuan Li¹^,² , Kai Xing¹^,²^,⁵ , Haisheng Chen³ , Jiangping Song¹^,²^,⁴^,⁵^,⁶^,⁷

¹Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, ²Beijing Key Laboratory of Preclinical Research and Evaluation for Cardiovascular Implant Materials, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, ³Guangzhou First People's Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology, ⁴Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fuwai Yunnan Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Affiliated Cardiovascular Hospital of Kunming Medical University, ⁵State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, ⁶Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, ⁷Sanya Institute of China Agricultural University

^* These authors contributed equally

Summary

This article presents a protocol to implant the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) into a piglet. This model represents a potent way to study the LVAD implantation in children and reveal the mechanism of ventricular reverse remodeling in LVAD treatment.

Abstract

A pediatric left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation model was established to simulate pediatric LVAD support and research the mechanism of heart reverse remodeling. Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent global cardiovascular disease. LVAD implantation is an essential method to treat HF. However, existing pediatric LVAD implantation models remain underdeveloped, and the mechanism of LVAD treatment resulting in ventricular reverse remodeling was unclear, especially among children, though there was a lot of research uncovering the possible target. Therefore, it's necessary to find out the mechanism, especially in children. A good model is the foundation for testing the function of a new pediatric LVAD and disclosing the key mechanism. We established a young landrace pig LVAD implantation model, which could be used to assume pediatric LVAD security and effectiveness. After the LVAD was implanted, the LVAD pump maintained stable and uninterrupted blood flow for over 1 month. Besides, the vital signs, including hemodynamics, were stable and within the ideal and normal ranges. This model accurately replicates hemodynamic conditions in clinical patients post-LVAD implantation. It could be used to trace the continuous changes after LVAD implantation. At the same time, it can be used to disclose the reactivity and safety of child LVAD implantation. This protocol is an easy and standard general process to build a uniformization model for child LVAD implantation research.

Introduction

LVAD therapy improves survival in heart failure patients and serves as a bridge to heart transplantation. LVAD has been used in adults for decades, which is thought to restore cardiac function by promoting reverse myocardial remodeling¹. The past research focused on adult LVAD implantation patients². However, the detailed reverse remodeling molecular mechanism for LVAD treatment was still unclear in kids³. Therefore, a good model for LVAD treatment mechanism research resulting in reverse remodeling is necessary. Although mouse models are widely used in drug evaluation and device development for ca....