WASHINGTON — Patients with left ventricular assist devices who undergo surgery that is unrelated to their device can safely manage the operation without device complications, according to results achieved at a single center.
The likelihood that a patient with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) will require surgery unrelated to the LVAD is increasing as a result of growing clinical experience with such devices, the development of longer-lasting LVADs, and growth in indications for permanent devices, Devin M. Nelson said during a moderated poster session at the annual conference of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs.
A total of 16 patients underwent 24 surgical procedures during 1998–2005 at LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, without any deaths or complications related to the LVAD. Five patients underwent more than one surgery on separate occasions, and two of the patients had two procedures performed during the same surgical session, Mr. Nelson reported.
Most (86%) of the surgical sessions occurred after the patient's hospital discharge for LVAD implantation. LVADs supported the patients for a range of 9–1,511 days before surgery and continued to do so for range of 21–991 days after surgery, said Mr. Nelson, a bioengineering research assistant with the Utah Artificial Heart Program at the hospital.
The most common surgical procedures included hernia repair (five), excision of melanoma (three), cholecystectomy (three), and lower limb amputation (three).
A trained mechanical circulatory support member attended each surgery to monitor the function of the LVAD. All surgeries also involved a cardiac anesthesiologist.