title: Use of ventricular assist devices in patients with postcardiotomy shock.
abstract: Over the last three years, we have used ventricular assist devices (VAD) in 7 patients. Of these 7, four patients with combined aortic and mitral valvular disease underwent double valve replacement; one patient with annuloaortic ectasia underwent a Cabrol's operation; another had aortic valve replacement; the last patient had triple coronary artery bypass grafts. The only patient who could be weaned from CPB developed cardiogenic shock after the operation. LVADs supported 6 patients for 4 to 8 days and a BVAD supported one patient for 9 days. All patients survived the weaning procedure. Three were discharged from the hospital and survived 7 to 21 months. The 4 other patients died of multiple organ failure. Three of these four suffered from both renal failure and infection, while one patient had arrhythmia and died of ileus. These data suggest that renal failure and major infection can be serious detrimental complications to VAD support.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishino
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kino
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Senoo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teramoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000990:Antithrombin III / Q000032:analysis; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012770:Shock, Cardiogenic / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000990:Antithrombin III