Background: The use of left ventricular assist devices has grown rapidly in recent years for patients with end-stage heart failure. A significant proportion of patients require both left- and right-sided support with biventricular assist devices (BiVADs) as a bridge to transplantation. Traditionally, these patients have waited in the hospital until they receive a transplant.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical course of BiVAD patients discharged to home to await heart transplantation.
Methods: Between November 2009 and July 2011, 24 adult patients underwent Thoratec paracorporeal BiVAD placement at the University of California Los Angeles, all with an Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support score 1 or 2. The disposition, complications, and rehospitalizations of these subjects were retrospectively reviewed.
Results: Fourteen of the 24 patients were successfully discharged to home, with a mean time of 60 ± 27 days from BiVAD implantation to discharge. Ninety-three percent (13/14) of the patients sent home went on to be transplanted. Eleven of the 14 (79%) came in from home to receive their transplant. The mean time from BiVAD implantation to transplantation was 100 ± 65 days. Of the 14 patients discharged to home, there were 18 readmissions in 8 patients.
Conclusion: In this small single-center review, we found that complex medical patients with BiVADs can be discharged to home and can await a heart transplant from home under the close management of multidisciplinary acute care and outpatient teams.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JCN.0000000000000168 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Case management in Emergency Care: Impact Evaluation of the CARED Program.
Int J Qual Health Care
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Background: Hospitals face mounting pressure to reduce unplanned utilization amid rising healthcare demands from an aging population. The Case management for At-Risk patients in the Emergency Department (CARED) program is among the first ED transitional care strategies to focus on both frail older adults and Emergency Department (ED) re-attenders to reduce acute hospital utilization. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the CARED program in reducing hospital (re)admissions and ED re-attendances within 30- and 60-days post-discharge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComorbidity patterns and mortality in atrial fibrillation: a latent class analysis of the EURopean study of Older Subjects with Atrial Fibrillation (EUROSAF).
Ann Med
December 2025
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Flinders Medical Centre, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, Australia.
Background: Most older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have comorbidities. However, it is unclear whether specific comorbidity patterns are associated with adverse outcomes. We identified comorbidity patterns and their association with mortality in multimorbid older AF patients with different multidimensional frailty.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPattern of Referral of Patients with COVID-19 for Psychiatric Consultation: Experience at a Multidisciplinary Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Objective: To determine referral patterns for psychiatric consultations among COVID-19 patients encompassing both the in-patient and Emergency Department of a multidisciplinary hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.
Study Design: A retrospective chart review. Place and Duration of the Study: The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from March 2020 to December 2021.
Intraoperative sensitization in trigeminal region caused by postherpetic neuralgia: a case report.
J Med Case Rep
January 2025
Department of Pain, The Third Xiangya Hospital and Institute of Pain Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Background: Interventional therapy of trigeminal neuropathic pain has been well documented; however, intraoperative monitoring and management of pain hypersensitivity remains barely reported, which may pose a great challenge for pain physicians as well as anesthesiologists.
Case Presentation: A 77-year-old Han Chinese male, who suffered from severe craniofacial postherpetic neuralgia, underwent pulsed radiofrequency of trigeminal ganglion in the authors' department twice. The authors successfully placed a radiofrequency needle through the foramen ovale during the first procedure with local anesthesia and intravenous sedation (dexmedetomidine).
Impact of psychotropic pro re nata prescription-monitoring programme on prescriptions for inpatients with psychiatric disorders: a retrospective observational study.
BMC Psychiatry
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University, School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami-Ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0374, Japan.
Background: Pro re nata (PRN) medication is used "as needed" for symptoms such as agitation and insomnia, in addition to regular daily pharmacotherapy of mental disorders. However, there is no high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of psychotropic PRN medications and concerns have been raised about their potential to contribute to polypharmacy. This study introduced a psychotropic PRN prescription-monitoring programme for psychiatric inpatients with the aim of examining the change before and after the implementation of the programme.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant 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!