Anesthesia & Clinical Research
Open Access

Abstract

Effective Illustration of Decommissioning of Left Ventricular Assist Device after Bridge-to-Recovery by Hybrid Minimally-Invasive Tactic: Anesthesia Substances

Thay Yu Jia, Shah Shitalkumar S and Kothandan Harikrishnan

We report successful decommissioning of HeartWare left ventricular assist device (LVAD) (HVAD, HeartWare Inc., Framingham, MA) leaving the pump in situ by hybrid percutaneous approach. In this case, the indication for mechanical assist device separation was myocardial recovery, which occurred following 19 months of LVAD support. Anaesthetic goals include maintenance of sinus rhythm, avoidance of myocardial depression and increase in systemic vascular resistance (SVR), with optimal blood pressure control, normothermia, and judicious fluid management. Intraoperative assessment of suitability to wean using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and continuous cardiac output monitoring with pulmonary artery catheter must be expedient as no anticoagulation is given. This case report demonstrates the feasibility of separating a patient from a LVAD without the need for a major re-operative intervention.