Monitoring Cardiac Output and Transesophageal Echocardiography during Removal of a Ventricular Assist Device

A ventricular assist device (VAD) is a mechanical pump used to support heart function and blood flow in patients with poor heart functions. For selected patients who are too ill to wait for a heart transplant or are not eligible for a heart transplant because of age or other medical problems, ventricular assist devices offer life-saving therapy. This device has also become a life-saving approach for patients with acute viral myocarditis. Following the acute illness phase, when heart function has improved, the VAD is carefully removed. It is very important to continuously monitor myocardial functions during this period. In this paper, we present a patient who underwent cardiac output and transesophageal echocardiography monitoring during VAD removal.