Left ventricular assist devices: physiologic assessment using echocardiography for management and optimization.
Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are being deployed increasingly in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction and medically refractory congestive heart failure of any etiology. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the use of the Thoratec Heartmate II (Thoratec Corporation, Pleasanton, CA, USA) for outpatient use. Echocardiography is fundamental during each stage of patient management, pre-LVAD placement, during LVAD placement, for postoperative LVAD optimization and long-term follow-up. We present a pragmatic and systematic echocardiographic approach that serves as a guide for the management of left ventricular assist devices.
Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA. mookadam.farouk@mayo.edu
Farouk
F
Mookadam
Christopher B
CB
Kendall
Raymond K
RK
Wong
Anantharam
A
Kalya
Tahlil
T
Warsame
Francisco A
FA
Arabia
Joan
J
Lusk
Sherif
S
Moustafa
Eric
E
Steidley
Nishath
N
Quader
Krishnaswamy
K
Chandrasekaran
D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*