Discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy for a month in a patient with HeartMate III continuous-flow left ventricular assist device without thromboembolic events.

ABSTRACT

The recommended anticoagulation regimen for continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) systems is warfarin and aspirin with a targeted international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0-3.0. Our patient is a 58-year-old male who underwent surgical HeartMate III continuous-flow LVAD implantation 3 months ago outside the country. The patient mistakenly stopped taking warfarin for 1 month prior to presenting to our center for a routine visit. Luckily, the patient was doing very well without any complication despite the fact that his INR was 1.0.