Biography
Wieselthaler, a native of Austria, earned a medical degree at the University of Vienna, where he completed a residency and surgical training. He also completed advanced training in transplantation at the Vienna heart transplant and lung transplant programs.
Wieselthaler has been involved in the development of ventricular assist pumps and a total artificial heart. He has trained surgeons worldwide in implantation techniques and the use of VADs, and he has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Wieselthaler is a member of many national and international medical societies. He is president-elect of the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps. He is on the board of the European Society for Artificial Organs and former president of the Austrian Society for Implantology and Tissue Integrated Prosthesis. In April 2011, he was named director of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
Read a Q&A with Wieselthaler.
Education
Institution | Degree | Dept or School | End Date |
---|---|---|---|
University of California | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training | 2018 | |
University of Vienna | M.D. | School of Medicine | 1987 |
Clinical Expertise
Acute Aortic Dissection Repair
Aortic Valve Repair & Replacement
Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass (OBCAB)
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)
End Stage Heart Failure
Heart Transplantation
Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery
Mitral Valve Repair & Replacement
Myocardial Revascularization Surgery
Thoracic Aneurysm Repair
Thoracic Aortic Reconstruction
Ventricular Aneurysm
Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD)
Arrhythmia
Foreign Languages Spoken
Program Affiliations
UCSF Heart & Vascular Center
In the News
Research Narrative
In 1984, while still in medical school, Dr. Wieselthaler became involved in the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program at the University of Vienna and began working in the Biomedical Laboratory on the development of the driving unit for the "New Vienna Total Artificial Heart (TAH)". After graduation, Dr. Wieselthaler became aware of the advantages of rotary blood pumps and organized the world´s the first "International Workshop(s) on Rotary Blood Pumps" in the years 1988 and 1991 in Austria. Out of these meetings, the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps was founded in 1992 with Dr. Wieselthaler acting as Secretary General for the organization for many years.
Dr. Wieselthaler and colleague Dr. Heinrich Schima, a biomedical engineer, then investigated and developed miniaturized centrifugal pumps over15 years in the Biomedical Laboratories of the University of Vienna. Dr. Wieselthaler thereafter became primary surgeon at the Medical University of Vienna where implanted various types of VAD systems and supervised patient care. He developed extensive expertise with pulsatile systems like Novacor LVAS and has had one of the longest supported patients on the device (over 4 1/2 years). He also developed the Thoratec paracorporeal and implantable VADs. One of his patients was supported more than 3 years on the world´s first full implantable VAD in the Arrow LionHeart CUPS Trial.
In 1998, Dr. Wieselthaler implanted the world's first implantable, miniaturized axial flow pumps, the MicroMed-DeBakey VAD and he has since implanted more than 80 patients with this device. Many of Dr. Wieselthaler´s leading scientific papers originated his early experience with the world´s first nonpulsatile pump, articles still cited by colleagues. Dr. Wieselthaler also served as Principal Investigator and implanted the world´s first implantable, magnetically suspended centrifugal left ventricular assist device (LVAD), the "TERUMO DuraHeart LVAD".
In 2003, Dr. Wieselthaler joined a HeartWare Inc, Miramar, FL as a consultant and over the next three years, played a key role in the development the HeartWare HVAD, a miniaturized hydromagnatically levitated centrifugal pump. and in 2006, he implanted the world's first patients with this system.
Dr. Wieselthaler continued working with HeartWare on the next generation LVAD, known as the "Miniaturised Ventricular Assist Device (MVAD)", leading to two patent applications in his name for the technology: 1) a minimally invasive implantation technique of the MVAD, and 2) a special shaped inflow cannula tip for the MVAD.
Research Interests
Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD)
Publications
- Late Right Heart Failure After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: Contemporary Insights and Future Perspectives.| | PubMed
- Left ventricular thrombus with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: Novel technique of bronchoscope-guided thrombus retrieval.| | PubMed
- Time in Therapeutic Range Significantly Impacts Survival and Adverse Events in Destination Therapy Patients.| | PubMed
- Two-Year Follow Up of the LATERAL Clinical Trial: A Focus on Adverse Events.| | PubMed
- Cost of Thoracotomy Approach: An Analysis of the LATERAL Trial.| | PubMed
- Detecting Suspected Pump Thrombosis in Left Ventricular Assist Devices via Acoustic Analysis.| | PubMed
- Evaluation of a lateral thoracotomy implant approach for a centrifugal-flow left ventricular assist device: The LATERAL clinical trial.| | PubMed
- Feasibility and utility of intraoperative epicardial scar characterization during left ventricular assist device implantation.| | PubMed
- Cast of the Right Bronchial Tree.| | PubMed
- Giant right coronary artery aneurysm presenting as cardiac tamponade.| | PubMed
- Intraoperative identification and treatment of a giant right coronary artery aneurysm.| | PubMed
- Response by Andreas et al to Letter Regarding Article, "Increased Thromboembolic Events With Dabigatran Compared With Vitamin K Antagonism in Left Ventricular Assist Device Patients: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial".| | PubMed
- An ISHLT consensus document for prevention and management strategies for mechanical circulatory support infection.| | PubMed
- Increased Thromboembolic Events With Dabigatran Compared With Vitamin K Antagonism in Left Ventricular Assist Device Patients: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.| | PubMed
- Antithrombotic therapy for left ventricular assist devices in adults: a systematic review.| | PubMed
- Ventricular assist devices for treatment of acute heart failure and chronic heart failure.| | PubMed
- Welcome to ISRBP 2014.| | PubMed
- Lack of donor and recipient age interaction in cardiac transplantation.| | PubMed
- Results of the post-market Registry to Evaluate the HeartWare Left Ventricular Assist System (ReVOLVE).| | PubMed
- Extended in vivo evaluation of a miniaturized axial flow pump with a novel inflow cannula for a minimal invasive implantation procedure.| | PubMed
- Low-molecular-weight heparin for anti-coagulation after left ventricular assist device implantation.| | PubMed
- Low-level-laser irradiation induces photorelaxation in coronary arteries and overcomes vasospasm of internal thoracic arteries.| | PubMed
- Development of a pump flow estimator for rotary blood pumps to enhance monitoring of ventricular function.| | PubMed
- Cardiogenic shock in ACS. Part 2: Role of mechanical circulatory support.| | PubMed
- Evaluation of left ventricular relaxation in rotary blood pump recipients using the pump flow waveform: a simulation study.| | PubMed
- Intuitive use and usability of ventricular assist device peripheral components in simulated emergency conditions.| | PubMed
- Aortitis requiring aortic repair associated with glaucoma, thyroiditis, glaucoma, and neuropathy: case report.| | PubMed
- Multicenter evaluation of an intrapericardial left ventricular assist system.| | PubMed
- Pulmonary embolism in a patient with a biventricular assist device--imaging with multislice computed tomography.| | PubMed
- Initial clinical experience with a novel left ventricular assist device with a magnetically levitated rotor in a multi-institutional trial.| | PubMed
- Clinical review: practical recommendations on the management of perioperative heart failure in cardiac surgery.| | PubMed
- Continuous assessment of cardiac function during rotary blood pump support: a contractility index derived from pump flow.| | PubMed
- Usability and safety of ventricular assist devices: human factors and design aspects.| | PubMed
- Age and outcome after continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation as bridge to transplantation.| | PubMed
- Renal function and outcome after continuous flow left ventricular assist device implantation.| | PubMed
- European experience of DuraHeart magnetically levitated centrifugal left ventricular assist system.| | PubMed
- Coronary hemodynamics and myocardial oxygen consumption during support with rotary blood pumps.| | PubMed
- Platelet dysfunction in outpatients with left ventricular assist devices.| | PubMed
- Low molecular weight heparin as an alternative to unfractionated heparin in the immediate postoperative period after left ventricular assist device implantation.| | PubMed
- Programmed cell death in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy is mediated by suppression of the apoptosis inhibitor Apollon.| | PubMed
- Renal function after implantation of continuous versus pulsatile flow left ventricular assist devices.| | PubMed
- Donor myocardial HIF-1alpha is an independent predictor of cardiac allograft dysfunction: a 7-year prospective, exploratory study.| | PubMed
- Suction events during left ventricular support and ventricular arrhythmias.| | PubMed
- Choroidal microcirculation in patients with rotary cardiac assist device.| | PubMed
- Left ventricular pressure-volume loop analysis during continuous cardiac assist in acute animal trials.| | PubMed
- Mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to heart transplantation: what remains? Long-term emotional sequelae in patients and spouses.| | PubMed
- Left ventricular assist devices decrease fixed pulmonary hypertension in cardiac transplant candidates.| | PubMed
- Post-transplant survival after lowering fixed pulmonary hypertension using left ventricular assist devices.| | PubMed
- Endocrine function is not impaired in patients with a continuous MicroMed-DeBakey axial flow pump.| | PubMed
- Recent trends in heart transplantation: the University of Vienna experience.| | PubMed
- The DuraHeart VAD, a magnetically levitated centrifugal pump: the University of Vienna bridge-to-transplant experience.| | PubMed
- Advanced suction detection for an axial flow pump.| | PubMed
- First clinical experience with an automatic control system for rotary blood pumps during ergometry and right-heart catheterization.| | PubMed
- Neurocognitive function in patients with ventricular assist devices: a comparison of pulsatile and continuous blood flow devices.| | PubMed
- Development of a reliable automatic speed control system for rotary blood pumps.| | PubMed
- Remember - treat the patient not the ECG!| | PubMed
- Physiology of continuous blood flow in recipients of rotary cardiac assist devices.| | PubMed
- Posttraumatic stress disorder after implantation of a mechanical assist device followed by heart transplantation: evaluation of patients and partners.| | PubMed
- Clinical results with an ePTFE inflow conduit for mechanical circulatory support.| | PubMed
- Emergency reinforcement of cracked paracorporeal blood pumps.| | PubMed
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is superior to right ventricular assist device for acute right ventricular failure after heart transplantation.| | PubMed
- Pre-emptive treatment with oral valganciclovir in management of CMV infection after cardiac transplantation.| | PubMed
- Extensive coagulation monitoring in patients after implantation of the MicroMed Debakey continuous flow axial pump.| | PubMed
- Development of a suction detection system for axial blood pumps.| | PubMed
- Weaning of rotary blood pump recipients after myocardial recovery: a computer study of changes in cardiac energetics.| | PubMed
- Automatic system for noninvasive blood pressure determination in rotary pump recipients.| | PubMed
- Quantitative analysis of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) expression in arteries and hearts of patients with ischaemic or dilated cardiomyopathy.| | PubMed
- Special considerations on the implantation technique for the MicroMed-DeBakey ventricular assist device axial pump.| | PubMed
- A retrospective analysis of extracorporel membrane oxygenation versus right ventricular assist device in acute great failure after heart transplantation.| | PubMed
- Rapamycin as rescue therapy in a patient supported by biventricular assist device to heart transplantation with consecutive ongoing rejection.| | PubMed
- The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is highly expressed in human heart ventricles.| | PubMed
- Cognitive deficit after aortic valve replacement.| | PubMed
- Interaction of the cardiovascular system with an implanted rotary assist device: simulation study with a refined computer model.| | PubMed
- Transitory immunologic response after implantation of the DeBakey VAD continuous-axial-flow pump.| | PubMed
- The University of Vienna experience in heart transplantation.| | PubMed
- Lessons learned from the first clinical implants of the DeBakey ventricular assist device axial pump: a single center report.| | PubMed
- Beta-blocker therapy reduces mortality on the waiting list for cardiac transplantation.| | PubMed
- Survival benefit of the implantable cardioverter/defibrillator in patients listed for cardiac transplantation.| | PubMed
- First clinical experience with the DeBakey VAD continuous-axial-flow pump for bridge to transplantation.| | PubMed
- [The DeBakey VAD axial flow pump: first clinical experience with a new generation of implantable, nonpulsatile blood pumps for long-term support prior to transplantation].| | PubMed
- Improved graft function using a new myocardial preservation solution: Celsior. Preliminary data from a randomized prospective study.| | PubMed
- Noninvasive monitoring of peak filling rate with acoustic quantification echocardiography accurately detects acute cardiac allograft rejection.| | PubMed
- Post-transplant acute myeloid leukemia (PT-AML).| | PubMed
- High turnover bone disease following lung transplantation.| | PubMed
- Aerobic endurance training program improves exercise performance in lung transplant recipients.| | PubMed
- Bilateral lung transplantation for pulmonary hypertension.| | PubMed
- Downsizing of the donor lung: peripheral segmental resections and lobar transplantation.| | PubMed
- Flow measurement at the pump head of centrifugal pumps: comparison of ultrasonic transit time and ultrasonic Doppler systems.| | PubMed
- Pharmacologically induced heart failure for the evaluation of circulatory assistance.| | PubMed
- Pharmacologically Induced Heart Failure for the Evaluation of Circulatory Assistance.| | PubMed
- Anemia and erythropoietin levels in lung transplant recipients.| | PubMed
- Thromboembolism associated with junctional escape rhythm and atrial standstill after orthotopic heart transplantation.| | PubMed
- The impact of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators on mortality among patients on the waiting list for heart transplantation.| | PubMed
- A clinical monitoring system for centrifugal blood pumps.| | PubMed
- An implantable seal-less centrifugal pump with integrated double-disk motor.| | PubMed
- Mechanically induced blood trauma: are the relevant questions already solved, or is it still an important field to be investigated?| | PubMed
- ICD therapy in survivors of sudden cardiac death awaiting heart transplantation.| | PubMed
- [Strategies in management of heart transplantation candidates with tachycardic ventricular arrhythmia anamnesis].| | PubMed
- The Vienna implantable centrifugal blood pump.| | PubMed
- Effect of lung transplantation on diaphragmatic function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.| | PubMed
- [Cytomegalovirus infection following lung transplantation].| | PubMed
- Diminished release of atrial natriuretic factor in calves with a total artificial heart.| | PubMed
- [A measuring device for calculating electrical impedance of the heart in clinical conditions].| | PubMed
- Noninvasive monitoring of rotary blood pumps: necessity, possibilities, and limitations.| | PubMed
- Action of endogenous atrial natriuretic peptide in calves with experimental acute central venous congestion and low cardiac output.| | PubMed
- Atrial natriuretic factor production and secretion during clinical total artificial heart-bridge-to-transplantation.| | PubMed