Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is being used increasingly in recent years for end stage heart failure as a bridge to transplant (BTT) and also as a destination therapy (DT). Patients with end stage heart failur...Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is being used increasingly in recent years for end stage heart failure as a bridge to transplant (BTT) and also as a destination therapy (DT). Patients with end stage heart failure have some degree of elevated pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, causing right ventricular hypertrophy which in due course leads to decreased dilatation of the RV and fall in cardiac output & severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) presenting with features of RV failure (RVF). Implantation of LVAD improves left heart function at the cost of right ventricular output with an incidence of 25%-30%. RVF may lead to impaired LVAD flow, difficulty in weaning from cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB), decreased tissue perfusion and multi-organ failure. In this article we comprehended the pathophysiology leading to RVF post LVAD implantation and its preoperative predictors and the various treatment modalities for managing RVF post LVAD implantation.展开更多
Gastrointestinal bleeds are a commonly observed complication after left ventricular assist device placement and usually caused by formation of arteriovenous malformations or acquired von Willebrand disease in the sett...Gastrointestinal bleeds are a commonly observed complication after left ventricular assist device placement and usually caused by formation of arteriovenous malformations or acquired von Willebrand disease in the setting of anticoagulation use. We present a unique case of an upper GI bleed in which the cause was likely due to the impaction of a guitar pick into the duodenal bulb in the setting of continuous flow-LVAD on anticoagulation with elevated INR and discuss the pathophysiology of GI bleeds post-LVAD placement and relevant concerns about finding foreign bodies in the GI tract and their complications.展开更多
文摘Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is being used increasingly in recent years for end stage heart failure as a bridge to transplant (BTT) and also as a destination therapy (DT). Patients with end stage heart failure have some degree of elevated pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, causing right ventricular hypertrophy which in due course leads to decreased dilatation of the RV and fall in cardiac output & severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) presenting with features of RV failure (RVF). Implantation of LVAD improves left heart function at the cost of right ventricular output with an incidence of 25%-30%. RVF may lead to impaired LVAD flow, difficulty in weaning from cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB), decreased tissue perfusion and multi-organ failure. In this article we comprehended the pathophysiology leading to RVF post LVAD implantation and its preoperative predictors and the various treatment modalities for managing RVF post LVAD implantation.
文摘Gastrointestinal bleeds are a commonly observed complication after left ventricular assist device placement and usually caused by formation of arteriovenous malformations or acquired von Willebrand disease in the setting of anticoagulation use. We present a unique case of an upper GI bleed in which the cause was likely due to the impaction of a guitar pick into the duodenal bulb in the setting of continuous flow-LVAD on anticoagulation with elevated INR and discuss the pathophysiology of GI bleeds post-LVAD placement and relevant concerns about finding foreign bodies in the GI tract and their complications.
