Von Willebrand factor, a versatile player in gastrointestinal bleeding in left ventricular assist device recipients?

Bleeding originating in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is one of the most common adverse events after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. In these patients, GI bleeding appears to be the consequence of altered hemostasis on the one hand and alterations of the GI microvasculature on the other.

We report the case of a patient who suffered repeated, severe GI bleeding early after implantation of a HeartMate II continuous-flow LVAD.

After failure of conventional treatment strategies, GI bleeding was controlled using repeated transfusions of a purified von Willebrand factor (VWF) concentrate, almost devoid of Factor VIII (Wilfactin, LFB). No episodes of pump thrombosis were noted. Subsequent to VWF transfusions, we observed a progressive normalization of circulating vascular endothelial growth factor levels.

Our data raise the possibility that, in addition to its hemostatic properties, transfusions of VWF might have acted as an antiangiogenic factor.