Left ventricular assist with the Bio-Medicus Pump on a 4-month old infant with anomalous left coronary artery

This 5.4 kg. (.38 BSA) 4 month old boy was born full term with no significant immediate problems, although the mother had noticed occasional rapid breathing since birth. The child's growth, development and appetite were normal. Eventually, because of the apparent difficulty in breathing, the mother took the child to a physician who referred the infant to a cardiologist. A chest x-ray revealed gross cardiomegaly and an echocardiogram revealed an akinetic left ventricular posterior wall with evidence of previous myocardial infarction. The septum displayed normal motion as did the lateral wall. The left ventricular ejection fraction was approximately 20% and evidence of anomalous take-off of the left coronary artery (LCA) off the main pulmonay artery (PA) was noted. The child was referred to Stanford University Hospital for surgical repair to redirect the LCA to the aorta (A(O)).