Renzo Cecere, MD FRCPC

Dr. Renzo Cecere is Associate Professor of Surgery at McGill University.

Originally trained in General Surgery and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at McGill University, he went on to complete Fellowships at Loma Linda University and Stanford University in Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Pediatric Heart and Lung Transplantation, and Mechanical Circulatory Support.

He then returned to McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre to develop the multidisciplinary Heart Failure, Transplantation, and Mechanical Cardiac Assist Programs.

Dr. Cecere’s clinical research interests include innovative therapies for heart failure and long-term mechanical cardiac assist as alternatives to transplantation, and he has participated as local PI in many international clinical trials.

Ventricular Assist Devices and Transplantation for End Stage Heart Failure

Monday, March 17, 2008
8:00 AM

Download Dr. Cecere’s complete slide set [9.23 MB PPT].

Patients with end-stage heart disease represent an on-going challenge. Novel therapies aimed at improving patients’ quality of life have led to marked benefits, with more patients avoiding heart transplantation.

However, as the availability of suitable organ donors continues to wane, those patients requiring heart transplantation are spending longer periods of time on transplant waiting lists, with the inevitable deterioration in clinical condition and quality of life.

The properly-timed use of Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) as a bridge-to-transplant (BTT) has allowed us to stabilize such patients by reversing multi-organ dysfunction, essentially eliminating emergency department visits and hospital admissions for heart failure, and permits safe rehabilitation until a donor is identified.

This presentation will review the state of the art.