1.
J Heart Lung Transplant
; 29(6): 695-7, 2010 Jun.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20207167
ABSTRACT
The circadian rhythm of varying blood pressure and heart rate is attenuated or absent in patients with severe heart failure. In 28 patients supported by a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for at least 30 days, a restoration of the circadian rhythm was demonstrated by a consistent nocturnal decrease, and then increase, of the LVAD flow while at a constant LVAD speed. The return of the circadian rhythm has implications for cardiac recovery, and the observation indicates that the continuous-flow LVAD has an intrinsic automatic response to physiologic demands.