The use of ventricular assist devices has expanded significantly since their approval by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States in 1994. In addition to this, the prevalence of heart failure continues to increase. We aim to provide an overview of perioperative considerations and management of these patients for non-cardiac surgery. We performed a Medline search for the words “ventricular assist device,” “Heartmate” and “HeartWare” to gain an overview of the literature surrounding these devices, and chose studies with relevance to the stated aims of this review. Patients with ventricular assist devices are presenting more frequently for surgery not related to their cardiac pathology. As the mechanically supported population grows, general anesthesiologists will be faced with managing these patients, possibly outside of the tertiary care setting. The unique challenges of this patient population can best be addressed by a thorough understanding of ventricular assist device physiology and a multidisciplinary approach to care.

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Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA), or Bland-White-Garland syndrome, is a rare congenital coronary anomaly that results in altered myocardial perfusion and a left to right shunt. It occurs in 1:300000 live births and represents 0.24% to 0.46% of all congenital cardiac diseases. Despite its rarity, it is one of the most common causes of ischemia and infarction in children. Ninety percent of these patients will die within the first year of life if untreated and diagnosing this abnormality in adulthood is extremely rare. Of those patients who survive to adulthood, the average age of sudden cardiac death is 35 years. The initial symptoms of the adult presentation vary widely from progressive dyspnea to sudden cardiac death; therefore, immediate surgical correction is highly recommended upon diagnosis. Understanding the pathophysiology and nature of collateral coronary flow in this congenital anomaly is paramount to the safe anesthetic management of adults with ALCAPA. Here we describe the intraoperative management and echocardiographic findings in a 68-year-old with with recently diagnosed ALCAPA undergoing surgical repair.

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