Looking inside the third generation left ventricular assist device using color doppler transesophageal echocardiography

ABSTRACT

HeartWare is a third-generation continuous flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and generates centrifugal pattern of blood flow. In the perioperative setting, interrogating the HeartWare devices is very difficult due to the interference of the Doppler by the impeller frequency and generation of the waterfall artifact. We present a case where using color Doppler a view “inside“ the impeller can be seen which corresponds to the centrifugal flow of blood. With time, these images can be looked into in pathological states such as pump thrombosis, to come to a more meaningful conclusion regarding the flow of blood within the centrifugal chamber. Newer technologies are constantly evolving to give us more meaningful insights into the flow of blood within the heart chambers. We believe similar technologies can be applied to see the flow of blood inside the LVAD devices.