Safety of Prothombin Complex Concentrate to Control Excess Bleeding During Continuous Flow LVAD Insertion.

In cardiovascular surgery, hemostatic complexities require the provision of blood products to control bleeding as well as the use of a number of hemostatic agents, some of which cause significant morbidity. Among these agents is prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC), however there is no clear consensus on PCC use in cardiovascular surgery. To investigate the safety of PCC in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement, we reviewed our single institution experience to examine the incidence of thromboembolic events and a variety of hospital markers including morbidity and mortality.

Assessment of recurrent heart failure associated with left ventricular assist device dysfunction.

Background: Patients with advanced heart failure may require long-term support with an intracorporeal left ventricular assist device (LVAD) before cardiac transplant, while awaiting myocardial recovery, or during destination therapy. Compared with the diagnosis of native heart dysfunction, there is less experience with the assessment of recurrent heart failure after LVAD placement.

Methods: Ten patients (9 men, 1 woman; age, 58 +/- 11 years) were studied after LVAD placement.