A case report is presented of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipient with a pre-existing thrombus that was removed on LVAD implant but quickly reformed and was removed, reformed again, and ultimately embolized, causing death. The thrombus formed proximal to the left ventricular outflow tract, because of the presence and subsequent repair of a calcified left ventricular infarct which had extruded from the septum. This region is vulnerable to flow stasis during LVAD support as predicted by experimental fluid mechanics studies, because of the lack of opening of the aortic valve. The presence of the repair and the altered flow field contributed to blood stasis and thrombus growth in a positive feedback loop. Although LVADs provide tremendous benefits for patients by reducing the symptoms of heart failure, the accompanying changes have some secondary consequences that remain problematic. One of these is an abnormal intraventricular flow field that decreases washout, especially in the region proximal to the left ventricular outflow tract, which is an area of flow stasis.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MAT.0b013e318299fcedDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

left ventricular
16
flow stasis
12
intraventricular flow
8
assist device
8
proximal left
8
ventricular outflow
8
outflow tract
8
flow field
8
flow
5
left
5

Similar Publications

Anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy: risk prediction, prevention and treatment.

Nat Rev Cardiol

January 2025

Cardioncology Unit, Cardioncology and Second Opinion Division, European Institute of Oncology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Milan, Italy.

Anthracyclines are the cornerstone of treatment for many malignancies. However, anthracycline cardiotoxicity is a considerable concern given that it can compromise the clinical effectiveness of the treatment and patient survival despite early discontinuation of therapy or dose reduction. Patients with cancer receiving anthracycline treatment can have a reduction in their quality of life and likelihood of survival due to cardiotoxicity, irrespective of their oncological prognosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is characterised by sterile vegetations on heart valves and often emerges in hypercoagulable states like malignancy. It is frequently underdiagnosed and only comes to light during postmortem examination. Early diagnosis and treatment with anticoagulation can help lower mortality.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: The utilization of intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) and Impella has been suggested as means of left ventricular unloading in veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) patients. This study aimed to assess the local hemodynamic alterations in VA-ECMO patients through simulation analyses. : In this study, a 0D-3D multiscale model was developed, wherein resistance conditions were employed to define the flow-pressure relationship.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: This fourth report aimed to provide insights into patient characteristics, outcomes, and standardized outcome ratios of patients implanted with durable Mechanical Circulatory Support across participating centers in the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) registry.

Methods: All registered patients receiving durable mechanical circulatory support up to August 2024 were included. Expected number of events were predicted using penalized logistic regression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: How the underlying etiology and pathophysiology of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy affects LA remodeling and function remains unexplored. The present study aims to investigate the influence of various hypertrophic phenotypes on LA remodeling and function.

Methods And Results: Patients with LV hypertrophy who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) were compared to a control group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!