Open AccessRight ventricle chest compressions: do we need a new paradigm for LVAD patients needing resuscitation? A case report
Author(s) -
Arvind Bhimaraj,
Erik E. Suarez,
Jerry D. Estep
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the vad journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2378-2706
DOI - 10.14434/vad.v3i0.27985
Subject(s) - medicine , resuscitation , ventricular assist device , ventricle , cardiology , cardiopulmonary resuscitation , heart failure , intensive care medicine , surgery
The use of chest compressions in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have been viewed to cause a potential damage to the outflow graft and hence have been a topic of controversy. We report a case of a LVAD patient who needed chest compressions during resuscitation for severe right ventricular failure. With the presence of trans-esophageal echocardiogram we noticed that the chest compressions did not need to be full ACLS compressions but modified to gentle right ventricular (RV) compressions in order to move blood into a normally functioning LVAD. We report this as a call for the LVAD medical providers to rethink concepts of standard resuscitation.