Caregivers of Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Caregivers of Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices

The 2013 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Guidelines for Mechanical Circulatory Support emphasize the importance of caregiver support for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement, recommending that a lack of support should serve as a relative contraindication to device placement. Despite the integral role that caregivers are expected to play, findings from studies...

Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Management of patients treated with left ventricular assist devices

This thesis describes the management of patients treated with mechanical circulatory support devices for shortor long-term use. Twenty-four patients suffering from postcardiotomy heart failure were treated with a minimally invasive axial flow pump. The device was effective in unloading the failing left ventricle and in maintaining an adequate systemic circulation. The principles of perioperativ...

Ambulatory care of patients with left ventricular assist devices.

BACKGROUND Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have revolutionized the treatment of patients with acute and chronic heart failure as they provide a high quality of life. We report on our experience with patients receiving ambulatory care after LVAD implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS Since July 1995, 46 patients with a mean age of 45+/-11 years underwent implantation of an electrically drive...

Sexual Concerns of Patients With Implantable Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

The growing field of implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) lacks studies that evaluate the sexual and psychosocial concerns of LVAD patients. The aim of this prospective study was to determine the sexual and psychosocial behaviors of these patients. A sexual and psychosocial survey was conducted in patients who underwent the implantation of LVAD. Inclusion criteria were patients w...