The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 2012
Multicenter Study Clinical TrialPilot investigation of a novel testing strategy for bleeding in ventricular assist device recipients.
A universal loss of von Willebrand factor (vWF) high-molecular-weight multimers (HMWM) has been demonstrated in continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (HeartMate II) recipients. However, no reliable clinical or laboratory predictors for an increased bleeding tendency in this patient population have been identified. This study evaluated the ability of a new automated latex particle-enhanced immunoturbidimetric vWF activity assay (ALPEIVA) to predict non-surgical bleeding risk in HeartMate II recipients. ⋯ The post-surgical bleeding ratio could potentially predict non-surgical bleeding risk and guide anti-platelet and anti-coagulation strategies in HeartMate II recipients.