RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Algorithms to guide ambulance clinicians in the management of emergencies in patients with implanted rotary left ventricular assist devices
JF Emergency Medicine Journal
JO Emerg Med J
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
SP 842
OP 850
DO 10.1136/emermed-2016-206172
VO 34
IS 12
A1 Bowles, Christopher T
A1 Hards, Rachel
A1 Wrightson, Neil
A1 Lincoln, Paul
A1 Kore, Shishir
A1 Marley, Laura
A1 Dalzell, Jonathan R
A1 Raj, Binu
A1 Baker, Tracey A
A1 Goodwin, Diane
A1 Carroll, Petra
A1 Pateman, Jane
A1 Black, John J M
A1 Kattenhorn, Paul
A1 Faulkner, Mark
A1 Parameshwar, Jayan
A1 Butcher, Charles
A1 Mason, Mark
A1 Rosenberg, Alexander
A1 McGovern, Ian
A1 Weymann, Alexander
A1 Gwinnutt, Carl
A1 Banner, Nicholas R
A1 Schueler, Stephan
A1 Simon, Andre R
A1 Pitcher, David W
YR 2017
UL http://emj.bmj.com/content/34/12/842.abstract
AB Advances in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy have resulted in increasing numbers of adult LVAD recipients in the community. However, device failure, stroke, bleeding, LVAD thrombosis and systemic infection can be life-threatening emergencies. Currently, four LVAD systems are implanted in six UK transplant centres, each of which provides device-specific information to local emergency services. This has resulted in inconsistent availability and content of information with the risks of delayed or inappropriate decision-making. In order to improve patient safety, a consortium of UK healthcare professionals with expertise in LVADs developed universally applicable prehospital emergency algorithms. Guidance was framed as closely as possible on the standard ABCDE approach to the assessment of critically ill patients.