The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Aug 2019
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialEffects of a fully magnetically levitated centrifugal-flow or axial-flow left ventricular assist device on von Willebrand factor: A prospective multicenter clinical trial.
Increased shear stress conferred upon the circulation by continuous-flow pumps is associated with hemocompatibility-related adverse events, principally bleeding within the gastrointestinal system, and linked to the degradation of high-molecular-weight multimers (HMWMs) of von Willebrand factor (vWF). We evaluated the structure and functional characteristics of vWF HMWMs in patients with the fully magnetically levitated centrifugal-flow HeartMate 3 (HM3) and the continuous axial-flow HeartMate II (HMII) pump. Findings were correlated with bleeding events. ⋯ This prospective, multicenter comparative analysis study demonstrates that the fully magnetically levitated centrifugal-flow HM3 left ventricular assist device is associated with greater preservation of the structure of vWF HMWMs than the HMII mechanical bearing axial-flow pump.