title: Ventricular fibrillation in an ambulatory patient supported by a left ventricular assist device: highlighting the ICD controversy.
abstract: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) provide an effective means of managing advanced pump failure as a means of bridging to cardiac transplantation or as permanent therapy. Although ventricular arrhythmias remain common post-LVAD implantation, such therapy may allow malignant arrhythmias to be tolerated hemodynamically. This report describes the clinical findings in a patient who had likely been in a ventricular tachyarrhythmia for several days and presented in ventricular fibrillation, ambulatory, and mentating normally. This report, with previous similar reports, is additive to the body of evidence that LVADs alter the physiologic impact of ventricular arrhythmias in advanced heart failure and highlights the need for thoughtful programming of implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapies in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. boilson.barry@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Barry A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Boilson
authors.forename: Lucian A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Durham
authors.forename: Soon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology*