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1: Ann Thorac Surg. 2004 May;77(5):1851-3.Click here to read Links

Intraabdominal placement of a Novacor ventricular assist system by using an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene pouch.

Matsumiya G, Miyamoto Y, Fukushima N, Monta O, Sawa Y, Matsuda H.

Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan. matsumg@surg1.med.osaka-u.ac.jp

The location of the pump pocket for the left ventricular assist system is of great importance because of its direct relation to subsequent complications. The Novacor device has usually been implanted at the space behind the rectus muscle, which leads to occasional bleeding from raw muscle surfaces and to subsequent pocket infection. Although intraabdominal placement causes less bleeding and is more refractory to later pocket infection, direct contact with the visceral organs sometimes causes serious complications. We constructed a pouch from an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene sheet, and this enabled intraabdominal placement of the Novacor device.

PMID: 15111213 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]