Beneficial aspects of real time flow measurements for the management of acute right ventricular heart failure following continuous flow ventricular assist device implantation

Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Gero Tenderich¹  Reiner Koerfer¹  Dilek Guersoy¹  Sotirios Spiliopoulos¹ 

[1] Department for the Surgical Management of End-stage Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Heart and Vascular Center Duisburg, Fahrner street 133-135, 47169, Duisburg, Germany

关键词: Ventricular assist devices;    Right ventricle;    Heart failure;   

Others  :  1152579
DOI  :  10.1186/1749-8090-7-119

 received in 2012-09-07, accepted in 2012-11-03,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

Optimal management of acute right heart failure following the implantation of a left ventricular assist device requires a reliable estimation of left ventricular preload and contractility. This is possible by real-time pump blood flow measurements.

Clinical case

We performed implantation of a continuous flow left ventricular assist device in a 66 years old female patient with an end-stage heart failure on the grounds of a dilated cardiomyopathy. Real-time pump blood flow was directly measured by an ultrasonic flow probe placed around the outflow graft.

Diagnosis

The progressive decline of real time flow and the loss of pulsatility were associated with an increase of central venous pressure, inotropic therapy and progressive renal failure suggesting the presence of an acute right heart failure. Diagnosis was validated by echocardiography and thermodilution measurements.

Treatment

Temporary mechanical circulatory support of the right ventricle was successfully performed. Real time flow measurement proved to be a useful tool for the diagnosis and ultimately for the management of right heart failure including the weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Spiliopoulos et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

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