Haemolysis in patients with ventricular assist devices: major differences between systems☆

Abstract

While severe haemolysis accompanies BVAD support, erythrocyte damage is less pronounced in the axial LVAD examined and only slight in the intracorporeal centrifugal LVAD. Haemopexin, a scavenger of free haemoglobin, can be used, in combination with haptoglobin and free haemoglobin, to assess erythrocyte damage.