Treatment of infected left ventricular assist device using antibiotic-impregnated beads.

There is no well-established therapy for treating infections of heart-assist or artificial heart devices, a serious problem with life-threatening consequences. We used a promising new approach in which antibiotic-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate beads were placed around an implanted left ventricular assist device to control an external blood pump infection in a bridge-to-transplant patient. In this case report, we describe the potential of antimicrobial-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate beads for in situ control of infections involving external surfaces of cardiovascular devices.