Percutaneous left and right ventricular support devices

The use of percutaneous mechanical circulatory support systems in the setting of both high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and cardiogenic shock (CS) is an emerging, controversial issue in contemporary clinical cardiology. The most common devices are the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), the Impella, and the extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO), while the TandemHeart is more technically demanding due to the transseptal puncture. Moreover, many other interesting technologies are under study and might be introduced in the clinical use in the next future.