Getting Back on the List: Development of Guidelines for Bariatric Surgery in Patients with LVADs

Patients in end stage heart failure with a BMI>35 are considered unacceptable candidates for heart transplantation due to increased morbidity and mortality after transplant. Those with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) may struggle losing weight (and often gain weight) and may be inactivated on the waiting list (or denied listing) until weight loss is achieved. To assist these patients in weight loss with a goal of reactivation on the transplant list, we created clinical guidelines for laparoscopic bariatric surgery.
Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Tags: (1269) Source Type: research