Date Presented 04/04/2025
Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) require several visual and visual–motor skills to ensure safe functioning, yet research is extremely limited. This study determined low vision’s impact on LVAD management and the role of OT in LVAD care.
Primary Author and Speaker: Margrete Newman
Additional Authors and Speakers: Jessica Asiello
Contributing Authors: John Wong, Christina Kelley, Abigail Begin, Marissa Dittrich, Erin E. Donovan, Nicole C. Lam, Alyssa M. Taubert, Dana Kuhn, Nicole Lyons
PURPOSE: Identify how low vision affects left ventricular assist device (LVAD) management. Low vision is prevalent amongst heart failure patients and there is a lack of evidence conntecting the two.
DESIGN: This was a single-site quantitative observational investigation study utilizing medical record data from the occupational therapy (OT) department’s standard clinical care for heart failure patients at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Participants included patients with advanced heart failure who had OT services pre- and post-LVAD implantation.
METHOD: Retrospective data from 2019-2024 was used. The sample was categorized into three functional vision levels based on OT pre-operative screenings. Key measures were a pre-operative LVAD Battery Management Assessment (BMA), Activity Measure of Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) Daily Activity Short Form, pre-operative OT LVAD Recommendations, and post-operative LVAD Level of Assistance. Nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis tests followed by post hoc pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni correction were conducted to assess differences among the three groups.
RESULTS: N = 86 received a pre-operative OT evaluation, underwent LVAD implantation, and had clear OT post-operative LVAD recommendations. 7.3% had impaired vision. Results show a statistically significant difference in vision levels among the LVAD BMA (p = 0.029) and OT Post-Operative LVAD Level of Assistance (p = 0.003).
CONCLUSION: LVAD recipients with low vision require higher levels of assistance with device management. OT plays a crucial role in evaluating and addressing how vision impacts device management, modifying environments, and providinglow vision strategies for recommendations for enhancing independence in LVAD management. This poster will provide illustrative examples of specific device modifications that OTs can use to support LVAD candidates with low vision.
References
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