Suicide by cutting the electrical cable of left ventricular assist device (A case report)

Left ventricular assist device is used as a permanent therapy in patients with severe heart failure that are not candidates for organ replacement. It consists of a blood pump implanted in a patient's chest just below the heart. An electrical cable that powers the blood pump passes through the patient's skin to an external controller worn around the patient's waist. We present a rare case of a 72 years old man suicide: He found dead by his wife on his house stairs when she returned home in a small town in Greece. He was transferred to the local hospital were pronounced dead. He suffered from severe heart failure since many years and had implanted left ventricular assist device two years ago. The autopsy of the case took place in Forensic Service of Ministry of Justice in Thessaloniki - Greece revealed suicide by cutting the electrical cable of the device.