Ventricular Assist Device Utilization in Heart Transplant Candidates: Nationwide Variability and Impact on Waitlist Outcomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) have become a standard treatment choice in advanced heart failure patients. We hypothesized that practice patterns with regards to CF-LVAD utilization vary significantly among transplant centers and impact waitlist outcomes.

Methods and results

The United Network for Organ Sharing registry was queried to identify adult patients who were waitlisted for heart transplantation (HT) between 2008 and 2015. Each patient was assigned a propensity score based on likelihood of receiving a durable CF-LVAD before or while waitlisted. The primary outcomes of interest were death or delisting for worsening status and HT at 1 year. A total of 22 863 patients from 92 centers were identified. Among these, 9013 (39.4%) were

SUBMITTER: Truby LK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5912344 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature