15.5 Driving while on long-term mechanical circulatory support
Every country has its own regulations with regards to driving with medical conditions, physician/provider responsibility in reporting these conditions and physician/provider liability for motor vehicle accidents that might occur as a result of these patients driving. According to the literature [386–391], most patients with an LT-MCS, NYHA functional class I–III and stable LT-MCS implantation qualify for private driving only and are disqualified from commercial driving. A recent study shows that a significant number of patients with LT-MCS continue to drive a vehicle after implantation (72%), although the frequency of driving dropped from nearly 80% driving daily to 52% [392].