title: Treatment options for patients with mobile left ventricular thrombus and ventricular dysfunction: a case series.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the optimal management of large, mobile, pedunculated left ventricular clots. The management is particularly challenging in patients with advanced heart failure considered for left ventricular assist device implantation, because the clot may cause pump thrombosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients with left ventricular thrombi identified by echocardiography, and found three cases with large protruding mobile clots.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this paper, we are presenting three challenging cases where the clots were successfully treated surgically. In two cases, the removal of clot was performed simultaneously with the implantation of ventricular assist devices. In the third case, the patient underwent only thrombectomy. Overall, the early outcomes were good in all three patients, but one subsequently died from unrelated causes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These clinical cases give evidence for surgical treatment of large mobile clots without systemic embolism, even if ventricular assist device is implanted during the same operation.
authors.affiliation: Department Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cousin
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scholfield
authors.affiliation: Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery, Tampa, Florida.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Faber
authors.affiliation: Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery, Tampa, Florida.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caldeira
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guglin
keywords: heart failure; left ventricular clot; ventricular assist device