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Coming Soon to an OR Near You: a Child with a Ventricular Assist Device

  • Pediatric Anesthesia (R Agarwal, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review summarizes the types of ventricular assist devices, device and patient selection, preoperative and intraoperative management, anticoagulation guidelines, and adverse events. Recent and ongoing studies are presented to illustrate the evolving science. As the number of patients with these devices continues to grow, practitioners will need an understanding of their function and mechanism of action to optimize perioperative care.

Recent Findings

The Pediatric Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (Pedimacs) released the 5th annual report detailing information on pediatric patients supported with ventricular assist devices (VADs) from 2012 to 2020. This report highlights ongoing trends with respect to types of devices and patients along with adverse effects and updated anticoagulation guidelines.

Summary

Continuous flow devices have shown improved outcomes in children compared to pulsatile devices. Research and development goals include miniaturizing the devices and minimizing adverse events.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, 453 Quarry Rd, CA, 94304, Palo Alto, USA

    Zachary Kleiman & Manchula Navaratnam

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  1. Zachary Kleiman
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  2. Manchula Navaratnam
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Correspondence to Zachary Kleiman.

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Kleiman, Z., Navaratnam, M. Coming Soon to an OR Near You: a Child with a Ventricular Assist Device. Curr Anesthesiol Rep 13, 172–180 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40140-023-00565-1

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