J Chest Surg.  2023 Mar;56(2):147-150. 10.5090/jcs.22.048.

Management of Cannula Wound Problems with VacuumAssisted Therapy for a Child Who Received Berlin Heart EXCOR Implantation

• Oh S
• Kim S
• Yang JH
• Roh YJ
• Park I

• KMID: 2540081
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5090/jcs.22.048

Abstract

A child being supported with an extracorporeal ventricular assist device, such as the Berlin Heart EXCOR (Berlin Heart GmbH, Berlin, Germany), must have at least 2 large cannulae for a long period. Management of cannula wounds is crucial since a cannula forms a track of prosthetic material passing the mediastinum to the heart. Deep wound complications, if they occur, can be troublesome and difficult to control with conventional methods. We applied vacuum-assisted closure to a patient who had Berlin-Heart EXCOR and a gap at the cannulation site. Herein, we describe the technical aspects of management in detail.

Keyword

Pediatric; Berlin Heart; Left ventricular assist device; Cannula; Wound closure techniques