Quantification of interventricular dyssynchrony during continuous-flow left ventricular assist device support

In this study, we evaluated seven goats (body weight 44.5  ± 6.5 kg) with normal hearts. A centrifugal LVAD was implanted under general anesthesia. We inserted the conductance catheters into the left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) to assess the volume signal simultaneously. We defined the interventricular dyssynchrony as a signal (increase o r decrease) of LV volume (LVV) change opposite to that of RV volume (RVV) (i.e., (dLVV/dt)  × (dRVV/dt)  <  0). The duration of interventricular dyssynchrony (DYS) was reported as the percentage of time that a heart was in a dyssynchronous state within a cardiac cycle. The mean DYS of normal hearts, hearts with LVAD clamp and hearts supported by LVADs with a bypass rate of 50%, 75% and 100% were 5.6  ± 1.6%, 8.7 ± 2.4%, 8.6 ± 2.8%, 15.1 ± 5.1%, and 25.6 ± 8.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the DYS was found to be associated with the degree of LV stroke volume reduction caused by LV unloading. These findings may be useful for understanding interventricular interactions and ph ysiology during CF-LVAD support. Influences on the right ventricular function and heart failure models warrant further study.
Source: Journal of Artificial Organs - Category: Transplant Surgery Source Type: research