Ischemic necrosis of the right colon in a patient with a ventricular assist device system

Despite improvements in medical therapy, the annual high mortality rate from end-stage heart failure continues. Although cardiac transplantation is a succesful treatment for these patients, the shortage of donor hearts has led surgeons to seek other options. Ventricular assist device (VAD) technology is applied to a broader population of heart failure patients, and clinicians are confronted with the specialized perioperative and chronic care of patients who receive these devices. VAD implantation is now an acceptable means of bridging to heart transplantation. We report a case of isolated right colon necrosis in a patient with VAD, who was successfully treated with right hemicolectomy and ileocolostomy.