A case of single‐incision laparoscopic surgery for acute appendicitis with left ventricular assist device

Abstract

A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is used for patients with severe heart failure. We present a case of a 35‐year‐old man who had undergone LVAD implantation 2 years ago for dilated phase of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He had right lower abdominal pain and was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Single‐incision laparoscopic surgery for appendicitis was performed. We incised approximately 3 cm of the umbilicus carefully because the driveline of LVAD was passing just caudal to the umbilicus. LVAD is only available for patients waiting for cardiac transplantation in Japan, and the number of patients with LVAD has been increasing. Adequate anticoagulant therapy is necessary because device thrombosis often causes fatal complications, but during emergency cases, the surgeons have to be cautious of bleeding and injury to the driveline of LVAD.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy after percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage for acute cholecystitis in a patient with a left ventricle assist device: A case report and brief review of the literature (with video)

“…Acute cholecystitis is a common abdominal condition that requires urgent intervention. Several reports describe the use of endoscopic surgery to treat cholecystitis in patients with LVADs 6,7 . Here, we report the use of percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) to relieve local inflammation due to acute cholecystitis in a LVAD transplant recipient with unstable vital status.…”

“…Several reports describe the use of endoscopic surgery to treat cholecystitis in patients with LVADs. 6 , 7 Here, we report the use of percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) to relieve local inflammation due to acute cholecystitis in a LVAD transplant recipient with unstable vital status. The PTGBD was followed by an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).…”