The Fountain of Youth Will Not Last Forever: End of Life in Patients Receiving Mechanical Circulatory Support

Johnson, Mary H. MSN, RN, CHFN
Bass, Colleen FNP-BC, MSN, RN, ACHPN
Schroeder, Sarah E. MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, AACC

¹Mary H. Johnson is VAD Educator, The Christ Hospital, 2123 Auburn Avenue, Suite 115, Cincinnati, OH ([email protected]).
²Colleen Bass is Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner, The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio.
³Sarah E. Schroeder is VAD Nurse Practitioner and Program Manager, Bryan Heart, Lincoln, Nebraska.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

AACN Advanced Critical Care 32(4):p 452-460, Winter 2021. | DOI: 10.4037/aacnacc2021501

ABSTRACT

Health care providers face a unique set of decision-making, assessment, and equipment challenges at the end of life of patients supported with a left ventricular assist device. The aim for this article is to assist the multidisciplinary team in caring for patients with a left ventricular assist device in all phases of end-of-life care. This review includes common causes of death for patients with a left ventricular assist device, assessment at end of life, physiological and palliative care considerations, withdrawal of left ventricular assist device support, and equipment considerations.