Cardiomyopathy Managed With A Left Ventricular Assist Device

CARDIOMYOPATHY MANAGED WITH A LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE

A 52-year-old man with ischemic bowel presents for urgent exploratory laparotomy. He has end-stage idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, and is listed for cardiac transplantation. While awaiting availability of a donor heart, he is managed at home with a long-term implanted left ventricular assist device (LVAD). A dual-chamber pacemaker (DDD mode) and implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) were also present.