Explantation of Left Ventricular Assist Device as Bridge Therapy is Associated with Diaphragm Dysfunction after Heart Transplantation

Diaphragm dysfunction due to phrenic nerve injury following cardiac surgery has been attributed to surgical trauma or topical hypothermia. The close proximity of the left phrenic nerve to the adjacent left ventricle makes it particularly vulnerable to insult following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) explantation during heart transplantation (HT). We aimed to evaluate the incidence of diaphragm dysfunction in patients after HT and correlate to LVAD support.

Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - March 31, 2020 Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Y. Peled, E. Ram, A. Kogan, J. Rozenman, Y. Kassif, L. Sternik, J. Lavee Tags: (1007) Source Type: research