Wound care of the driveline exit site in patients with a ventricular assist device: A systematic review

Background: This study aims to systematically define and analyze the studies on driveline exit site care methods for patients with a ventricular assist device. Methods: The studies related to driveline exit site care of the patients with a ventricular assist device published in English and Turkish between 2008 and 2017 were reviewed from the international Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the national databases. Of a total of 83 articles, a total of seven research articles which met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Results: Findings related to the agents used in the cleaning of the driveline exit site, dressing closures, dressing change frequency, and use of driveline anchoring devices were obtained from studies included in the research. It was found that chlorhexidine solution for skin cleaning and sterile gauze sheets and transparent covering for dressing closure were the most preferred methods for the driveline exit site care. Dressing change frequency varied considerably from center to center and anchoring devices were used in all studies. Conclusion: There is no gold standard method for the driveline exit site care of patients with a ventricular assist device and researches on the driveline exit site care seem to be limited. It is recommended that large-scale, randomized-controlled studies should be conducted which would provide a stronger proof of the driveline exit site care.