Adults Living With a Retro-auricular Left Ventricular Assist Device as Destination Therapy: An Interpretive Description

Increasingly, there is a trend toward the use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) for treating advanced heart failure, as both bridge-to-transplant therapy and destination therapy. Living with an LVAD profoundly influences patients' lives. Only a few study authors investigated the experience of people with abdominal LVADs, and nothing is known about the unique experience of those with retro-auricular LVADs. The aim of this study was to explore and describe experiences and lifestyle adjustments in adults with retro-auricular LVADs implanted as destination therapy.

Reference

Luciani M, Trenta AM, Jack SM, Moro M, Patella S, Di Mauro S, Ausili D. Adults Living With a Retro-auricular Left Ventricular Assist Device as Destination Therapy: An Interpretive Description. J Cardiovasc Nurs 2020 Feb 14. doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000648

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