Bleeding and thrombosis associated with ventricular assist device therapy: A state of the art review

Over the past decade continuous-flow rotary pumps have dramatically improved the survival for patients with advanced systolic heart failure. Bleeding and thrombosis however continue to be the Achilles ’ heel of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy. There is a dynamic and complex interaction between the patient and pump. The net effect of a variety of hematologic derangements such as hemolysis, high molecular weight von Willebrand’s degradation, platelet activation and diminished puls atility is poorly understood.
Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Source Type: research