CTICasesHeartMate 3 LVAD Magnetic Artifact
Imaging findings
Portable digital radiographs in a patient with a HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device show perfectly oriented parallel stripe artifacts that initially resemble grid lines, appearing on most but not all images and oriented perpendicular to the long axis of the pump, changing angle as the pump angle changes.
Key takeaways
The HeartMate 3 LVAD uses a magnetically levitated centrifugal pump with a rapidly switching magnetic field to emulate pulsatile flow, and this field produces a stripe artifact on portable digital radiographs that can mimic grid lines. Recognizing the artifact (perpendicular to the pump axis, variable between images) avoids misinterpretation, and a thin metal shield acting as a small Faraday cage between the detector and patient may mitigate it.
AI-assisted summary — may contain errors. Verify against the source video. Learn more
More from this webinar
- Unroofed Coronary Sinus Variant with Pulmonary Vein CommunicationCongenital
- Rapidly Progressive Legionella PneumoniaInfection
- COVID-19 Thrombotic State with Myocardial Infarction and LV ThrombusVascular
- Iatrogenic Thoracic Duct Injury with ChylothoraxIatrogenic
- Immunotherapy-Induced Organizing Pneumonia Evolving to NSIPILD
- Iatrogenic Diaphragmatic Rupture after Microwave AblationIatrogenic
- Embolizing Tumor Thrombus from Sacral ChordomaNeoplastic
- Fibrosing Mediastinitis with SVC ObstructionInflammatory
See all cases from December 18, 2020 →
Related Artifact cases
- Macklin Phenomenon via the Pulmonary Vein Sheath
- Fat Necrosis of Lipomatous Hypertrophy of the Interatrial Septum
- Pulmonary Biopsy Tract Sealant Mimicking a Lesion
- Pneumomediastinum from the Macklin Phenomenon after Lung Transplant
- Pneumothorax Ex Vacuo after Endobronchial Valve Placement
- Milk of Calcium Pleural Collection