Successful invasive treatment of stroke in a patient with a left ventricle assist device - case report

The article presents a case of invasively treated stroke in a patient with heart failure (HF) and implanted left ventricle assist device (LVAD), and risk factors suspected as the reasons behind the stroke.

A 58-year-old patient with HF supported with LVAD, with atrial fibrillation (AF) and rapid heart rate, was admitted to intensive cardiac care unit due to episodes of AF falsely detected by implantable cardiac defibrillator as ventricular fibrillation (VF), provoking unnecessary defibrillator discharges and episodes of real VF in consequence. Twelve hours after admission, the patient displayed symptoms of stroke and was treated with mechanical thrombectomy of the occluded right middle cerebral artery, with good results.

The treatment for stroke in a patient with multiple risk factors, who needed antithrombotic therapy due to LVAD, presented a significant challenge. Fortunately, timely diagnosis of stroke enabled quick invasive treatment with good results.