title: Leakage of the arterial prosthesis of an Impella RVAD.
abstract: Seromas occurring around a vascular graft are a rare complication. We report a life-threatening plasma leakage that occurred through the polytetrafluoroethylene vascular prosthesis of an Impella right ventricular assist device (Impella RD [Impella Cardiosystems GmbH, Aachen, Germany]) implanted in a 62-year-old patient with acute right ventricular failure after cardiac transplantation. The leakage became progressively massive. Weaning the patient from the right ventricular assist device was not possible. The prosthesis was thus wrapped within a pericardial patch to contain the leakage. Three days later the patient could be successfully weaned and the pump was removed. The clinical evolution was favorable.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland. hendrik.tevaearai@insel.ch
authors.forename: Hendrik T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Tevaearai
authors.forename: Juerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmidli
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mohacsi
authors.forename: Hans-Ulrich
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Rothen
authors.forename: Friedrich S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Eckstein
authors.forename: Thierry P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Carrel
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000009:adverse effects; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000637:transplantation*; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene / Q000009:adverse effects; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D049291:Seroma / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene