Normalcy Among Individuals Living With Long-Term Mechanical Circulatory Support: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis.

Aim: To explore descriptions of normalcy among individuals who have lived with mechanical circulatory support for a long time.

Design: Reflexive thematic analysis was used for this qualitative research.

Methods: A parent study, utilising constructivist grounded theory, was conducted to explore the experiences of advance care planning among mechanical circulatory support individuals.

Evaluating the accuracy of planar gated blood pool processing software using simulated patient studies.

Planar gated blood pool (GBP-P) radionuclide imaging is a valuable non-invasive technique for assessing left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Serial cardiac imaging can be performed to monitor the potential decline in LVEF among patients undergoing cardiotoxic chemotherapy. Consequently, accurate LVEF determination becomes paramount.

Validation of a Monte Carlo simulated cardiac phantom for planar and SPECT studies.

Purpose: This work aimed to validate Monte Carlo (MC) simulated cardiac phantoms for the evaluation of planar- and SPECT-gated-blood-pool (GBP-P and GBP-S) studies.

Methods: A comparison of gamma camera system performance criteria measurements (energy resolution, spatial resolution, sensitivity) with MC simulations was conducted. Furthermore, the accuracy of measured and simulated volumes of two stereolithography-printed cardiac phantoms (based on 4D-XCAT phantoms) was assessed.

Theory of Pivoting Uncertainties: Advance Care Planning Among Individuals Living With Mechanical Circulatory Support.

Background: Individuals living with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are confronted with risks for catastrophic outcomes such as stroke and systemic infection. Considering these complexities, ongoing advance care planning (ACP) is important for shared decision making.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe how experiences of the MCS trajectory informed decision making about ACP.

"It's not something that's really been brought up": Opportunities and challenges for ongoing advance care planning discussions among individuals living with mechanical circulatory support.

Background: People living with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) are at risk for catastrophic complications that require advance care planning (ACP) as part of the preimplantation work up. Palliative care consultants are a mandatory and essential component of the MCS team tasked to enhance conversations. However, in reality, there is often a serious deficiency of ACP communication after the initial implant counseling.