Fluoroscopy and selective angiography of left ventricular assist system inflow cannula as a method of detecting cannula entrapment

Assessment of Recurrent Heart Failure Associated with Left Ventricular Assist Device Dysfunction

“…Park et al 14 identified LVAD cannula orifice obstruction in 2 patients from fluoroscopy and left ventricular angiography when echocardiographic findings were indeterminant.…”

“…The average resting LVAD rate was 67 beats/min, 50 to 81 associated with a forward (thermodilution) cardiac output of 5.0 liter/min (4.5-5.8), right atrial pressure was 13 mm Hg, [11][12][13][14] and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure was 13 mm Hg. 10 -14 Echocardiographic findings were unremarkable except in Patient 2, who had mild aortic insufficiency.…”

Use of Retrospectively Gated CT Angiography to Diagnose Systolic LVAD Inflow Obstruction

“…7,8 Limitations of echocardiographic techniques include suboptimal views, artifacts, and operator dependence. Catheter-based techniques have been used to diagnose cannula obstruction, regurgitation, thrombus, and valvular regurgitation., [9][10][11] but the reported experience is limited and primarily with pulsatile pumps. Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is another useful imaging modality in the management of patients with LVADs.…”