Heart Transplant Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Heart Transplant, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery, organ donation.

The hemostatic history of a 15-month-old child implanted with a Berlin heart left ventricular assist device.

Steenwyk BL, Kirklin JK, Gurley WQ, Nielsen VG

Department of Anesthesiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-2172, USA.

We documented the hemostatic changes associated with placement of a EXCOR Berlin Heart left ventricular assist device in a 15-month-old child before heart transplantation. The development of hypercoagulability was rapid, manifested first by a plasmatic and subsequently platelet-mediated increase in coagulation kinetics and strength that persisted for weeks. The patient had no thrombotic complications for 6 wk before transplant but required extraordinary blood product administration to achieve hemostasis secondary to aggressive, multimodal anticoagulation. In summary, when proscribing anesthetic and surgical management of patients with a Berlin Heart, consideration of hypercoagulable features and anticoagulant therapy must be made to maximize patient safety.

Published 21 February 2007 in Anesth Analg, 104(3): 538-40.
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