Open AccessHigh Rates of False-Positive Hepatitis C Antibody Tests Can Occur After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation
Author(s) -
Ajay Srivastava,
Tara Hrobowski,
L. Krese,
Mike Huang,
Hassan Nemeh,
Cristina Tita,
Celeste Williams,
Robert J. Brewer,
David E. Lanfear
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
asaio journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.961
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1538-943X
pISSN - 1058-2916
DOI - 10.1097/mat.0b013e3182a53d00
Subject(s) - medicine , ventricular assist device , hepatitis c virus , antibody , transplantation , hepatitis c , cardiology , virus , immunology , heart failure
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening is routine before cardiac transplantation, and virus presence is an exclusion at most centers. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are often used as a bridge to transplantation and cause immune activation. We collected data on 32 consecutive patients undergoing LVAD placement between January 2006 and February 2008 at a single center. Of the 23 potential bridge-to-transplant patients with HCV testing before and after LVAD, seven (30%) turned positive for HCV antibody but did not have true HCV infection on confirmatory testing. Cardiac transplant care providers should be aware of possible false-positive HCV antibody tests in this setting.