bs_bs_banner
Copyright © 2015 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Letters to the Editor Influence of Ventricular Assist Devices Equipment Wear on Body Posture To the Editor, Increasing numbers of patients require the implantation of permanent ventricular assist devices (VADs) to treat refractory end-stage heart failure (1,2). In left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients, the position and weight of the equipment can influence body posture. Comfort issues are important in LVAD patients who must perform daily activities and maintain correct posture, while wearing a control unit and power source. The percutaneous power cables pass through the skin of the right abdomen or through a skull-mounted pedestal (2). Patients with parietotemporal skull pedestal implantations might be able to place the VAD controller and batteries at a considerable distance from the body, thanks to the length of the flexible power cable. Nevertheless, safety considerations dictate that the patient always be within arm’s reach of the equipment. Usually, the patient can choose either a pouch or a shoulder bag to carry the device. In VAD patients, as an asymmetric load is always present, it is possible that a degree of postural alteration develops over time. Carrying of a traditional single-strap bag can increase lateral bending of the trunk (3). It is possible that a shoulder bag can trigger musculoskeletal discomfort in the neck, scapular area, and middle thoracic spine, caused by continual (albeit light, i.e.,
Copyright © 2015 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Letters to the Editor Influence of Ventricular Assist Devices Equipment Wear on Body Posture To the Editor, Increasing numbers of patients require the implantation of permanent ventricular assist devices (VADs) to treat refractory end-stage heart failure (1,2). In left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients, the position and weight of the equipment can influence body posture. Comfort issues are important in LVAD patients who must perform daily activities and maintain correct posture, while wearing a control unit and power source. The percutaneous power cables pass through the skin of the right abdomen or through a skull-mounted pedestal (2). Patients with parietotemporal skull pedestal implantations might be able to place the VAD controller and batteries at a considerable distance from the body, thanks to the length of the flexible power cable. Nevertheless, safety considerations dictate that the patient always be within arm’s reach of the equipment. Usually, the patient can choose either a pouch or a shoulder bag to carry the device. In VAD patients, as an asymmetric load is always present, it is possible that a degree of postural alteration develops over time. Carrying of a traditional single-strap bag can increase lateral bending of the trunk (3). It is possible that a shoulder bag can trigger musculoskeletal discomfort in the neck, scapular area, and middle thoracic spine, caused by continual (albeit light, i.e.,
