Management of a chronically infected left ventricular assist device with heart transplantation: Two-step simplified approach.

Abstract

The surgical approach for the treatment of a left ventricular assist device with severe infection may be controversial. We present the case of a patient implanted with a HeartWare™ HVAD as a bridge to transplant and chronic infection of the device by Pseudomonas who underwent a conservative partial treatment of the driveline tunnel and subsequently a heart transplantation and device removal were done. The two-step simplified approach allowed the patient to be transplanted in a short period of time, with the abdominal wall healed and almost two-thirds of the driveline subcutaneous tunnel sterilized.