SynthesisEuropean journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery2021
Driveline exit-site care protocols in patients with left ventricular assist devices: a systematic review.
Synthesis in European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05163392 (A Silver Lining in the VAD Sky), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Silver Lining in the VAD Sky: Impact of Silver Dressing on LVAD Associated Driveline Infection
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- A silver lining in the VAD sky? Impact of a silver dressing on left ventricular assist device-associated driveline infections.JHLT open · 2026Article
- Joint Arthroplasty in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices.Arthroplasty today · 2026Article
- Article
- Infections in mechanical circulatory support.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- Cold atmospheric plasma therapy as a novel treatment for Berlin Heart EXCOR pediatric cannula infections.Artificial organs · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesDriveline infections continue to be a significant complication following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Driveline exit-site care is crucial for the prevention of infections; however, there are no uniform guidelines. The goal of this study was to provide an overview of the currently published driveline exit-site care protocols in patients with LVAD.
methodsA systematic literature review was performed. Studies before 15 December 2020 were included if the number of driveline infections was a primary outcome and the driveline exit-site care protocol was explained.
resultsEleven articles were included in the systematic review, including 1602 patients with LVADs. The median of the frequency of driveline infections in the articles was 13.8% with a range of 0-52.6%. There was a marked variability in the methods of care of driveline exit sites, without a standardized driveline dressing technique in patients with LVADs. The frequency of driveline infections was 6-7.5% in studies using a dressing kit that included chlorhexidine, a silver-based dressing and an anchoring device. Furthermore, there was variability in the anchoring devices and the frequency of dressing changes, which varied from daily to weekly. No specific anchoring device or change frequency was found to be superior.
conclusionsBased on this systematic review, driveline exit care protocols that included chlorhexidine, a silver-based dressing, the use of an anchoring device and dressing kits might be best in reducing driveline infection rates. However, prospective studies with larger cohorts are needed to establish the optimal protocol for driveline exit-site care.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.