Use of intracardiac echocardiography to evaluate continuous-flow left ventricular assist device function in a man with obesity

Abstract

Aortic insufficiency with recirculation can be difficult to diagnose echocardiographically in patients who have continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices. Transthoracic and trans-esophageal echocardiography can underestimate its severity; moreover, transesophageal echocardiography necessitates general anesthesia. We report the case of a 58-year-old man with obesity and end-stage nonischemic cardiomyopathy who, after 3 months of support with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device, underwent intracardiac echocar-diography to evaluate complications potentially associated with the device. The findings ruled out aortic insufficiency, preventing an unnecessary valvular intervention. (Tex Heart Inst J 2021;48(3):e207303).