Surgical management of unusual gastrointestinal bleeding and a left ventricular assist device

Abstract

There is growing evidence that patients treated with continuous flow ventricular assist devices are at increased risk for bleeding complications beyond what would be expected for those requiring anti-coagulation therapy. However, the management of these patients is typically medical. We present a case of unusual gastrointestinal bleeding successfully managed with surgical intervention in a patient with a Heartmate II ventricular assist device. © 2010 Published by European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.