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Late Infectious Complications Following Ventricular Assist Device Explant: A Case Series
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  • Thomas Hilton,
  • Lauren Eyadiel,
  • Trevor Caldarera,
  • Anthony DeFranzo,
  • Adrian Lata,
  • Barbara Pisani
Thomas Hilton
Wake Forest School of Medicine

Corresponding Author:thilton@wakehealth.edu

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Lauren Eyadiel
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Division of Cardiology Department of Internal Medicine
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Trevor Caldarera
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Department of Internal Medicine
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Anthony DeFranzo
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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Adrian Lata
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
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Barbara Pisani
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Division of Cardiology Department of Internal Medicine
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Abstract

Driveline site infections are a common complication following ventricular assist device (VAD) placement but infectious complications at the prior pump inflow site rarely occur 1,2,3. That said, VAD pump explantation due to complications or myocardial recovery are becoming more common in this population as patients are living longer with contemporary centrifugal VAD technology 4. The current literature is limited in terms of risk for reoperation and an optimal surgical approach to prevent early or long term post-operative infectious complications 3,5,6. We present a case series of three VAD explants resulting in remote pump site complications following explant using various techniques: 1) outflow graft transection with VAD inflow cannula plug placement and 2) transection of the inflow graft after removal of silastic cover using a combined left subcostal and anterior thoracotomy. A summary of the combined case timelines is noted in Figure 1.