Affiliation:
1. Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
Abstract
Patients with implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are at risk of ventricular arrhythmias but these may be hemodynamically tolerated. An electrocardiogram (ECG) is essential to determine whether an LVAD-supported patient is experiencing a ventricular arrhythmia. Access to 12 lead ECG is predominantly in healthcare facilities. Implantable LVAD also cause significant electromagnetic interference leading to artefacts on ECG. We report a patient on Heartmate 3 LVAD with a diagnostic quality 6 lead ECG obtained with an AliveCor device during an episode of sustained palpitations. The AliveCor device may be used for remote identification of ventricular arrhythmias in LVAD patients.
Subject
Biomedical Engineering,Biomaterials,General Medicine,Medicine (miscellaneous),Bioengineering