Senior Director of Education Life Link III Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Advances in the management of heart failure have led to an increasing number of patients living outside the hospital with a variety of ventricular-assist devices (VADs). These implantable pumps may be placed temporarily as a bridge to cardiac transplantation or resolution of a reversible condition, or as destination therapy for the rest of the patient's life. Emergency medical services (EMS) providers may be called to care for such patients experiencing an emergency related to the device itself, the underlying cardiac condition, or a totally unrelated medical or traumatic issue. This lecture will use case studies to provide the learner with specific examples of how to assess and manage VAD patients in emergencies.
Learning Objectives:
State the implication of continuous flow VAD technology on patient assessment.
State the most common emergent alarms associated with continuous flow VADs.
Discuss resources available for prehospital providers.
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