Stroke in pediatric ventricular assist device support

Stroke continues to be one of the most significant hemocompatibility related adverse event in pediatric ventricular assist device support. Tremendous gains have been made in reducing the incidence of stroke across all ages, diagnoses and device types. However there still remains noticeable differences in the hemocompatibility of device types, with paracorporeal continuous and pulsatile flow associated with higher rates of ischemic stroke as compared to intracorporeal devices. In this review article, we discuss the landscape of pediatric stroke in mechanical circulatory support focusing on; pathophysiology of stroke in this heightened risk population, past and present incidence of stroke, stroke diagnosis and acute stroke management.