Analysis of a fatal left ventricular assist device infection: a case report and discussion

Abstract

No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. Introduction: Left ventricular assist device (VAD) therapy is an increasingly utilized treatment as a bridge to heart transplantation or as long-term destination therapy. Recent reports show there is a 22% - 32% incidence of VAD-associated infections with staphylococci and nosocomial gram-negative bacilli being the most common causative organisms (1,2). These organisms are often found in intensive care units, where they have the highest proportion of resistance, thus exposing already critically ill patients to the possibility of resistant organism VAD-associated infections (3). Mortality rates exceed 60% when sepsis develops in a patient with a continuous flow left VAD and infection is the number one cause of death in those awaiting cardiac transplantation (4,5). With continued left VAD use clinicians will likely see multidrug-resistant (MDR) or even pandrug-resistant organism VAD-associated infections. Clinicians need to be prepared to manage such an intimidating entity. Case Report: We report a case of a 25 year-old ...

Keywords

• left ventricular assist device
• heart failure
• treatment
• complication
• infection
• Pseudomonas
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• HeartMate II
• chest x-ray
• bacterial resistance