Right Ventricular Strain to Assess Early Right Heart Failure in the Left Ventricular Assist Device Candidate

Right heart failure (RHF) following left ventricular assist device implantation (LVAD) remains the primary cause of postoperative mortality and morbidity, and prediction of RHF is the main interest of the transplantation community. In this review, we outline the role and impact of right ventricular strain in the evaluation of the right ventricle function before LVAD implantation.

Accumulating data suggest that measurement of right ventricular longitudinal strain (RVLS) has a critical role in predicting RHF preoperatively and may improve morbidity and mortality following LVAD implantation. However, the significant intraobserver, interobserver variability, the lack of multicenter, prospective studies, and the need for a learning curve remain the most critical limitations in the clinical practice at present. This review highlighted the importance of right ventricular strain in the diagnosis of RHF preoperatively and revealed that RVLS might have a crucial clinical measurement for the selection and management of LVAD patients in the future with the more extensive multicenter studies.