Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Favorable Outcomes Of Lvad As Bridge To Simultaneous Heart-Kidney Transplantation, Vinay Thohan, Ghulam Murtaza, Carlos O. Encarnacion, Nasir Sulemanjee, Omar Cheema, Thomas Hastings, Chi Cho, Frank Downey, John Crouch

The VAD Journal

Background

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an established risk factor for incident cardiovascular disease and progression of heart failure disease state, and is associated with decreased survival after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy or heart transplantation (HT). Combined heart-kidney transplantation (HKT) compared with isolated HT recently has been shown to have survival advantage among patients whose estimated glomerular filtration rate is less than 37 ml/min/m². Data on LVAD to HKT are limited.

Methods

At our center, a total of 803 patients have received HT, 594 patients LVAD therapy, and 23 patients HKT from single donors; of those …

Advanced Heart Failure Treatment Options Among The Elderly, German Guzman-Gutierrez, Yang Shi, Matthew Rappelt, Arshad Jahangir, Vinay Thohan

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The aging human population has emerged as a critically important factor in health care, not only due to the unique physiologic and pathologic processes associated with aging but also because of the evolution of medical and surgical therapies that have increased quality and quantity of life. Heart failure is a disease found most commonly among older populations in whom it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Heart failure disproportionately affects the elderly, and it stands to reason that the most terminal stage, known as advanced heart failure (AHF), is more common among the elderly. Despite limited data, treatment options …

Fever Of Unknown Origin In Patient After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation, Eugenia Raichlin, Sara Varnado, John Y. Um, Michael J. Moulton, Ronald Zolty Dr

The VAD Journal

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is a lifesaving procedure in patients with refractory cardiogenic shock. Despite improvement in surgical techniques, ICU care and restored hemodynamics, some patients on MCS remain severely debilitated due to multiple medical problems, including infections, respiratory failure, de-conditioning and nutritional deficits.

Here we present a case of a patient with persistent high degree fever, devastating muscle weakness, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, who dramatically responded to treatment with vitamin B 12.

Incidence Of Pump Thrombosis In Heartmate Ii During Destination Therapy, Rohan Samson, Abhishek Jaiswal, Frank Smart, Thierry H. Lejemtel

The VAD Journal

Pump thrombosis (PT) occurs during destination therapy (DT) with HeartMate II, a continuous blood flow left ventricular assist device (St Jude, Pleasanton, CA, USA). With adherence to stringent post-operative and long-term anticoagulation a low incidence of PT was initially reported during DT. The increased PT incidence during DT that was reported in early 2013 was attributed to lenient anticoagulation. A wide range of PT incidence during DT is being reported since the return to stringent post-operative and long-term anticoagulation. We searched PubMed from January 2008 to February 2016 for reports of PT during mechanical circulatory support with HeartMate II and …

Development And Pilot-Testing Of A Patient Decision Aid For Left Ventricular Assist Device Placement, Kristin Kostick, Estevan D. Delgado, Lidija A. Wilhelms, Courtenay R. Bruce, Jerry D. Estep, Matthias Loebe, Charles Minard, Jennifer S. Blumenthal-Barby

The VAD Journal

Objectives: This paper describes the development methodology and pilot-testing of a decision aid for Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) placement, combining traditional needs-assessment with a novel user-centered approach.

Background: Studies indicate suboptimal patient understanding of the capabilities, lifestyle implications, and risks of LVAD therapy.

Methods and Results: We developed the decision aid in line with the Ottawa Decision Support Framework (ODSF) and the International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) for ensuring quality, patient-centered content. Structured interviews were conducted with patients, caregivers, candidates for LVAD treatment, and expert clinicians (n=71) to generate content based on patient values and …

What Did We Learn About Vads In 2015?, Maya Guglin

The VAD Journal

No abstract provided.