Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

With the rising prevalence of heart disease in the United States, there is increasing reliance on durable mechanical circulatory support (MCS) to treat patients with end-stage heart failure. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), the most common form of durable MCS, are implanted mechanical pumps that connect to an external power source through a transcutaneous driveline. First-generation LVADs were bulky, pulsatile pumps that were frequently complicated by infection. Second-generation LVADs have an improved design, though infection remains a common and serious complication due to the inherent nature of implanted MCS. Infections can affect any component of the LVAD, with driveline infections being the most common. LVAD infections carry significant morbidity and mortality for LVAD patients. Therefore, it is paramount for the multidisciplinary team of clinicians caring for these patients to be familiar with this complication. We review the epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of LVAD infections.
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PMID:In Full Flow: Left Ventricular Assist Device Infections in the Modern Era. 3240 11

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are used in patients with advanced heart failure. Infections are common complications following device placement; however, the efficacy of chronic antimicrobial suppression therapy for deep-seated infections is not well characterized. We report the case of a 49-year-old male with a HeartMate II LVAD who presented with a methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus pump pocket infection that was subsequently treated with antibiotics and HeartMate III pump exchange. A vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) pump pocket infection then developed and responded to surgical drainage followed by long-term suppression with daptomycin then linezolid for over 870 days. A second pump exchange was not required. To our knowledge, this represents the longest reported use of daptomycin (341 days) without symptomatic adverse events. Managing infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens presents a clinical challenge. This case demonstrates the potential for antimicrobial suppression therapy to allow for successful retention of a VRE-infected LVAD.
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PMID:Over 870 days of successful antibiotic suppression therapy for VRE-infected left ventricular assist device. 3255 22


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