Ventricular standstill in a patient with a left ventricular assist device.

Abstract

A 58-year-old woman suffered from medically refractory heart failure due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. She underwent tricuspid repair and left ventricular assist device implantation (LVAD) for inotropic dependent heart failure. Due to severe right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, she developed progressive bradycardia and ventricular asystole with electrocardiographic and echocardiographic standstill. Despite the lack of native cardiac activity, she maintained end-organ perfusion with inotropic support until she underwent successful transplant. This report highlights a case of mechanical circulatory support with an isolated LVAD even in the absence of native RV function.