Development of aortic insufficiency in patients supported with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices.

Development of aortic insufficiency (AI) in patients supported with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) can adversely affect pump performance. In this study, we examined the incidence of new AI after LVAD implant at our institution. Pre- and postoperative echocardiograms of 66 patients who received HeartMate II or Heartware LVAD at our institution since June 2008 were reviewed for presence of new AI.