Mechanical Circulatory Support Therapy in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) includes temporary and durable mechanical devices used for two sets of indications: 1. acute heart failure (HF) secondary sepsis, a myocardial infarction, or pulmonary emboli, and 2. for chronic end-stage HF secondary to worsening cardiomyopathy despite guideline driven medical treatment. This article is to aide cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in understanding the history of MCS therapy, the care of the MCS patient in the cardiac ICU, the critical and collaborative role of transplant teams with MCS therapy, educational needs for a successful discharge, and implications for education and shared decision-making when placing these devices.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Intermacs 2022 Annual Report: Focus on the 2018 Heart Transplant Allocation System.

The 13th annual report from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (Intermacs) highlights outcomes for 27,314 patients receiving continuous-flow durable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) during the last decade (2012-2021). In 2021, 2464 primary LVADs were implanted, representing a 23.5% reduction in the annual volume compared with peak implantation in 2019 and an ongoing trend from the prior year. This decline is likely a reflection of the untoward effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the change in the United States heart transplant allocation system in 2018. The last several years have been characterized by a shift in device indication and type, with 81.1% of patients now implanted as destination therapy and 92.7% receiving an LVAD with full magnetic levitation in 2021. However, despite an older, more ill population being increasingly supported preimplant with temporary circulatory devices in the recent (2017-2021) vs prior (2012-2016) eras, the 1- and 5-year survival continues to improve, at 83.0% and 51.9%, respectively. The adverse events profile has also improved, with a significant reduction in stroke, gastrointestinal bleeding, and hospital readmissions. Finally, we examined the impact of the change in the heart transplant allocation system in 2018 on LVAD candidacy, implant strategy, and outcomes. In the competing-outcomes analysis, the proportion of transplant-eligible patients receiving a transplant has declined from 56.5% to 46.0% at 3 years, whereas the proportion remaining alive with ongoing support has improved from 24.1% to 38.1% at 3 years, underscoring the durability of the currently available technology.

A pilot clinical trial of a self-management intervention in patients with a left ventricular assist device.

Self-management is a health behavior known to predict treatment outcomes in patients with multiple co-morbidities and/or chronic conditions. However, the self-management process and outcomes in the left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) population are understudied. This pilot randomized control trial (RCT) evaluated the feasibility of a novel "smartphone app-directed and nurse-supported self-management intervention" in patients implanted with durable LVADs. Assessments included behavioral (self-efficacy and adherence), clinical (complications), and healthcare utilization (unplanned clinic, emergency room (ER) visits, and re-hospitalization) outcomes, completed at baseline (pre-hospital discharge) and months 1, 3, and 6 post-hospital discharge. Intervention patients (n = 14) had favorable patterns/trends of results across study outcomes than control patients (n = 16). Notably, intervention patients had much lower complications and healthcare utilization rates than controls. For example, intervention patients had 2 (14.3%) driveline infections in 6 months while control patients had 3 (19.0%). Additionally, at month 3, intervention patients had 0% ER visits versus 36% of control patients. At month 6, the mean cumulative number of re-hospitalizations for the control group was higher (0.9 ± 0.93) than intervention (0.3 ± 0.61) group. Despite the small sample size and limitations of feasibility/pilot studies, our outcomes data appeared to favor the novel intervention. Lessons learned from this study suggest the intervention should be implemented for 6 months post-hospital discharge. Further research is needed including large and rigorous multi-center RCTs to generate knowledge explaining the mechanism of the effect of self-management on LVAD treatment outcomes.

Psychological Journey of a Patient With a Ventricular Assist Device: A VAD Coordinator's Perspective.

BACKGROUND: A thorough psychosocial assessment is needed during the evaluation of candidacy for ventricular assist device placement to identify potential barriers that would limit success with the device. Ventricular assist device coordinators are generally involved in the psychosocial assessment of the patient, allowing them to provide a more holistic approach to ventricular assist device candidacy during discussions at multidisciplinary meetings. There is a gap in the literature describing the psychological journey of patients after ventricular assist device implantation and the challenges ventricular assist device coordinators face when caring for this complex population. OBJECTIVE: The psychological journey of 3 patients with a ventricular assist device was explored to determine if common themes exist and to describe the experiences faced by the ventricular assist device coordinators with each patient. METHODS: Three patient case scenarios are described, as are the interactions with the patients' ventricular assist device coordinator team members. RESULTS: All 3 case scenarios demonstrate similarities of younger ages, the need of family and social support, and ventricular assist device coordinators who went beyond the call of duty to assist in the successful heart transplantation for 2 cases and the successful decommission of the ventricular assist device in another case. CONCLUSION: The psychosocial needs of patients with a ventricular assist device and ventricular assist device coordinators require ongoing assessment because of the many physical and emotional challenges that arise during the time a patient has an implanted ventricular assist device.

The Fountain of Youth Will Not Last Forever: End of Life in Patients Receiving Mechanical Circulatory Support.

Health care providers face a unique set of decision-making, assessment, and equipment challenges at the end of life of patients supported with a left ventricular assist device. The aim for this article is to assist the multidisciplinary team in caring for patients with a left ventricular assist device in all phases of end-of-life care. This review includes common causes of death for patients with a left ventricular assist device, assessment at end of life, physiological and palliative care considerations, withdrawal of left ventricular assist device support, and equipment considerations.

Frailty Assessment in Heart Failure and Ventricular Assist Device Populations: A Review from the United States.

IMPORTANCE: Post-operative risk is increased with frail individuals undergoing cardiac surgery. Yet, there is no consensus for frailty assessment prior to durable left ventricular assist device (dLVAD) evaluation. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this integrative review were to describe frailty measures, examine psychometrics of measures used, and identify variables related to frailty in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and dLVAD populations. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases were searched for terms related to frailty, HFrEF and dLVAD that met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Fourteen articles met inclusion criteria. Frailty was inconsistently defined. The Fried Phenotype Criteria was the most widely used approach to measurement. Validity was reported in all articles. Variables related to frailty included readmissions, higher mortality and increased adverse events. CONCLUSION: There was variability in frailty definition and frailty measurement across studies. Further research in HFrEF and dLVAD populations is needed for frailty evaluation.

Patient-Reported Issues Following Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation Hospitalization.

The purpose of this study was to explore the information reported by patients via a smartphone application (VAD Care App) used for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) self-care monitoring and reporting post hospital discharge. Specific aims were to examine the type and frequency of issues reported by patients through the app during months 1, 3, and 6 postdischarge. An exploratory-descriptive research design was used with 17 patients (12 males and 5 females) with durable LVADs, mean age of 48.6 ± 16 years. Data generated by the patients' daily smartphone app usage more than 6 months were extracted from the server. Data were coded and clustered according to issues reported by patients via the app and analyzed with descriptive statistics. Three clusters of issues were found: physiologic, behavioral (self-care), and signs and symptoms. LVAD flows and pulsatility indices, hypertension, driveline care, and heart failure symptoms were worse at month 1, and then appeared to improve at months 3-6. However, abnormal levels of the international normalization ratio were common at all assessment points. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism of the reported issues on treatment outcomes, then develop and test interventions to inform evidence-based practice and clinical guidelines for smartphone apps used in LVAD self-care monitoring.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With a Left Ventricular Assist Device (QOLVAD) Questionnaire: Initial Psychometrics of a New Instrument.

BACKGROUND: Patients with a left ventricular assist device are a unique and growing population who deserve their own valid, reliable instrument for health-related quality of life. OBJECTIVE: We developed and tested the Health-Related Quality of Life with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (QOLVAD) questionnaire. METHODS: In a prospective, descriptive study, patients from 7 sites completed the QOLVAD and comparator questionnaires. Construct validity was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Convergent validity was tested using correlations of QOLVAD scores to well-established measures of subjective health status, depression, anxiety, and meaning/faith. Reliability and test-retest reliability were quantified. RESULTS: Patients (n = 213) were 58.7 ± 13.9 years old; 81.0% were male, 73.7% were White, and 48.0% had bridge to transplant. Questionnaires were completed at a median time of 44 weeks post ventricular assist device. The 5 QOLVAD domains had acceptable construct validity (root mean square error of approximation = 0.064, comparative and Tucker-Lewis fit indices > 0.90, weighted root mean square residual = 0.95). The total score and domain-specific scores were significantly correlated with the instruments to which they were compared. Internal consistency reliability was acceptable for all subscales (α = .79-.83) except the cognitive domain (α = .66). Unidimensional reliability for the total score was acceptable (α = .93), as was factor determinacy for multidimensional reliability (0.95). Total test-retest reliability was 0.875 (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Our analysis provided initial support for validity and reliability of the QOLVAD for total score, physical, emotional, social, and meaning/spiritual domains. The QOLVAD has potential in research and clinical settings to guide decision making and referrals; further studies are needed.

Use of Home Enteral Nutrition in Malnourished Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery is by far the most effective treatment option available for successfully achieving and maintaining weight loss in the obese population, but it can also be associated with complications that lead to malnutrition. There is limited data on how enteral nutrition (EN) can be used to provide nutrition support in such cases. METHODS: Retrospective review of our Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) database was conducted from February 2013 to April 2018 to identify patients who received HEN because of bariatric surgery-related complication. RESULTS: During the study period, 72 patients (86% female, mean age 50.3 ± 11.6 years) initiated HEN because of bariatric surgical complication. Most common bariatric surgery was Roux-en-Y (74%) and most common indication for HEN was malnutrition/failure to thrive (33%). HEN was most commonly provided through nasojejunal feeds and resulted in an average increase in body weight and body mass index from 74.8 kg and 26.5, respectively, before HEN to 76.9 kg and 27.2, respectively, at the end of the HEN period. Through HEN, patients received 22.2 ± 7.9 kcal/kg/d and 1.0 ± 0.3 g/kg/d protein, meeting 94% ± 17% of their energy goals and 95% ± 29% of their protein goals. Vitamin deficiencies were noted in 69% of patients at the time of HEN initiation, which improved to 10% after enteral feeds and appropriate vitamin supplementation. CONCLUSION: HEN is safe and effective in treating malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies that might occur as a complication of bariatric surgery, leading to avoidance of parenteral nutrition support in most cases.

Burnout and Quality of Work Life Among Nurse Practitioners in Ventricular Assist Device Programs in the United States.

BACKGROUND: A mixed-method study of role stress and work intensity among nurse practitioners (NPs) in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) programs in the United States reported a qualitative data related to burnout. We empirically investigated this phenomenon by pursuing the following specific aims: (1) describe levels of personal burnout (PB), work-related (WB) burnout, and client-related burnout (CB) and quality of work life (QOWL) among MCS-NPs; (2) determine the relationship between burnout and QOWL variables; and (3) identify which type of burnout is a predictor of QOWL. METHODS: We employed an exploratory correlational research design. Demographics, work characteristics, and psychometrically robust measures of burnout and QOWL were completed by 47 MCS-NPs from various regions of the United States. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Higher levels of burnout (PB, WB, and CB) were associated with lower levels of QOWL (r = -.52 to -.64, P < .001). Of the 3 types of burnout, WB burnout showed a significant predictor of QOWL (R2 = .44, P < .01). Multiple regression models showed that a 1 point increase in mean score of WB would decrease a mean QOWL score by 0.64 after controlling the effect of PB and CB. Some dimensions of QOWL were associated with work/hospital characteristics (r > -.30, P values <.05). CONCLUSION: Work-related burnout is negatively associated with low QOWL among NPs. Hospital/work environment was contributing factors to high burnout and low QOWL. Further research is needed to confirm the findings including the effect of burnout and QOWL on patient and ventricular assist device program outcomes.

Ventricular Assist Device Self-Management Issues: The Patient and Caregiver Perspectives.

Despite technological advancements, ventricular assist device (VAD) self-management (SM) remains complex. Using a descriptive mixed-method research, we examined the VAD care issues reported by nondyadic sample of 102 patients and 116 caregivers in the United States. Participants (mean age, 50.0 ± 13.1 years) were predominantly white (80%), female (59%), and married (77%). Quantitative and qualitative data revealed the patients/caregivers' need for competency assessment and reassessment of VAD care after discharge. Competent home-care registered nurses (RNs) and on-going communications with VAD care team are needed in support for VAD SM.