Lavare Cycle in Patients Receiving HeartWare Left Ventricular Assist Device

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients remain at risk for pump thrombus and thromboembolic events through multiple mechanisms. The HeartWare® Ventricular Assist System (HVAD®, HeartWare Inc., Framingham, MA, USA) includes a novel speed modulation feature called Lavare™ cycle. It consists of 3 phases: phase 1 - a 200 rpm decrease from baseline speed for 2 seconds, phase 2 - a 100 rpm increase from baseline for 1 second and phase 3 - return of speed to baseline; this cycle repeats itself once every minute. The LavareTM Cycle is aimed to promote washing of left ventricle to decrease blood stasis and subsequent risk of thrombus formation, ingestion and/or expulsion. In a post-hoc analysis of ReVOLVE registry, which includes 248 patients implanted with the HVAD following Conformité Européenne Mark in nine centers in Europe and Australia, no adverse impact on survival was observed with Lavare™ cycle. Additionally, lower risk of stroke, sepsis and right heart failure was observed among those with Lavare™ cycle in the above-mentioned study. However, no prior study has prospectively evaluated the impact of Lavare™ cycle on patient outcomes in a randomized fashion. In this prospective randomized controlled trial, we intend to assess the role of Lavare™ cycle in pump related complications.