Authors
Laura Coyle, Katelyn Kuper, Nicole Graney, Lisa Kukla, Julie Minser, Robin Paliga, William Cotts, Farhat Hamad, Antone J Tatooles
Published in
JHLT open. Volume 14. Pages 100637. Epub Jul 17, 2026.
Abstract
An intracranial mycotic aneurysm (MA) is a rare but devasting complication of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) associated endocarditis. Diagnosis and management have been limited to a few case reports. We present a case series reviewing characteristics and outcomes of LVAD patients undergoing endovascular embolization for treatment of a cerebral MA.
We retrospectively reviewed all LVAD patients who underwent a diagnostic cerebral angiogram for endovascular treatment of a ruptured MA between April 2022 and October 2025.
Seven patients, 57% (n = 4) male with a median age 44 ± 18 years, were included. All patients were bacteremic and presented with an intracranial hemorrhage. Diagnostic cerebral angiogram with interventional radiology transcatheter intracranial embolization of the MA with embolic agents n-Butyl Cyanoacrylate (n = 3), Onyx (n = 2), and Hydro Coils (n = 2) successfully occluded all MAs. Five patients (71%) were discharged after 23 ± 9 days, 2 remained hospitalized; 1 expired after 3 days due to withdrawal of care, and the other patient received a heart transplant 64 days after endovascular treatment.
Patients with LVAD-associated IE are predisposed to neurological complications, and a diagnostic cerebral angiogram should be performed on those who present with an intracranial hemorrhage, as this appears to be predictive of a MA. Endovascular embolization is a promising treatment option for cerebral MAs in considerable risk LVAD patients.
PMID:
42732359
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 13 Sep 2026.
Read full publication at:
Please sign in
to see all details.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 6
- Comments 0