SAN DIEGO-Left-ventricular assist devices may extend the queues for heart transplants.
A retrospective study of 256 transplant recipients by Dr. Patrick McCarthy’s Cleveland Clinic team suggested that LVADs could intensify the organ shortage by supporting patients who wouldn’t have survived to surgery.
The 53 patients bridged with an LVAD (HeartMate, Thermo Cardiosystems) waited a mean of 88 days for a graft. They were larger, heavier, and more likely to be O blood type, HLA-sensitized, and have ischemic cardiomyopathy than the 203 non-LVAD patients.
At one year 94% of the bridged and 88% of the non-LVAD patients survived. At two and three years the two groups had similar survival rates, the team told the American Association for Thoracic Surgery meeting here.
