title: Twelve hours of sustained ventricular fibrillation supported by a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device.
abstract: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy improves survival and quality of life by mechanically unloading the left ventricle and maintaining hemodynamics in patients with end-stage heart failure. LVADs can also be lifesaving by maintaining hemodynamics during ventricular arrhythmia. Continuous-flow LVADs have become the preferred LVAD technology. As presented here, a continuous-flow LVAD successfully provided hemodynamic support to a patient in sustained ventricular fibrillation for over 12 hours when the internal defibrillator was unable to terminate the arrhythmia. This case demonstrates that continuous-flow LVADs can be lifesaving in the setting of otherwise certain hemodynamic collapse from sustained ventricular fibrillation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA. das9093@nyp.org
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Sims
authors.forename: Gregg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rosner
authors.forename: Nir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uriel
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: González-Costello
authors.forename: Frederick A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Ehlert
authors.forename: Ulrich P
authors.initials: UP
authors.lastname: Jorde
mesh_terms: D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000150:complications* / Q000534:rehabilitation*