Author(s)

Tiffany Lambrou, Vikas Khullar, Devi Rampertab, Roniel Cabrera

Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.

Gastrointestinal bleeds are a commonly observed complication after left ventricular assist device placement and usually caused by formation of arteriovenous malformations or acquired von Willebrand disease in the setting of anticoagulation use. We present a unique case of an upper GI bleed in which the cause was likely due to the impaction of a guitar pick into the duodenal bulb in the setting of continuous flow-LVAD on anticoagulation with elevated INR and discuss the pathophysiology of GI bleeds post-LVAD placement and relevant concerns about finding foreign bodies in the GI tract and their complications.

Foreign Body, GI Bleed, Endoscopy, Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

Lambrou, T. , Khullar, V. , Rampertab, D. and Cabrera, R. (2017) Guitarist Pick for Melena: A Unique Case of an Upper GI Bleed. International Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8, 514-518. doi: 10.4236/ijcm.2017.88048.