Authors: Faris Araj, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Alpesh Amin, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Julie Cox, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and Pradeep Mammen, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
There have been over 15,000 continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) implanted in the United States. As the care of these patients expands into the general community, it is important for providers at all levels to be familiar with the sound of a normal LVAD. The sound generated is normally described as an "LVAD hum." That non-descriptive term may be misunderstood as all LVADs or "hums" are the same, when in fact the sound produced is unique to each device. Another common misconception held by some providers is the absence of heart sounds in a normally functioning LVAD. Using apex phonocardiography we were able to better visualize these unique characteristics and suggest a refined description of each device sound. The recordings were made on normal functioning LVADs using the Eko CORE Stethoscope Attachment.