A ventricular assist device is a type of mechanical circulatory support used in patients
with advanced heart failure. Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) can be used as
destination therapy, where they are an alternative to heart transplantation, bridge to
transplant therapy or bridge to recovery therapy. The most common complication in the
immediate postoperative period after LVAD implantation is right ventricular failure. It is
challenging to determine which patients may develop right ventricular failure in the
postoperative period, and there is no equivocal evidence in the literature suggesting
which parameters might be optimal in predicting right ventricular failure (RVF).
The aim of this study was to identify and obtain clinical, hemodynamic and
echocardiographic parameters that could successfully predict RVF in LVAD recipients.
For this we have studied 40 consecutive patients at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb
in which we have measured parameters of heart geometry and function by
echocardiography, as well as functional and hemodynamic values by right heart
catheterization which were used in combination with clinical parameters for the
prediction of early and late RVF
