Original articleAdult cardiacSurvival on the Heart Transplant Waiting List: Impact of Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device as Bridge to Transplant
Section snippets
Data and Study Population
The study was conducted after approval by the University of Louisville Institutional Review Board. Thoracic organ transplantation data were requested from UNOS (1994–June 2012). The UNOS database was then queried for patients aged 18 years or older who were on the waiting list for heart transplantation between 2005 and 2012. At the time of listing with UNOS, patients who were implanted with an LVAD other than the HeartMate II (HM II) (Thoratec Inc, Pleasanton, CA) for BTT therapy were excluded
Results
From 2005 to 2012, there were a total of 8,688 patients who met the criteria, with 1,504 (17%) supported with an HM II LVAD as BTT treatment. The average age (52.6 ± 11.8 versus 51.3 ± 12.9 years; p = 0.0002) and weight (86.6 ± 18.6 versus 80.8 ± 18.2 kg (p < 0.0001) at time of listing were higher in the HM II group than in the non-LVAD group. In addition, there were more men (79% versus 74%; p < 0.0001) and more patients with diabetes (30% versus 27%; p = 0.03) in the HM II group than in those
Comment
Heart failure remains 1 of the most significant health problems in the United States, with high morbidity, mortality, and resource use. Progression of heart failure leads to advanced disease that is refractory to medical management and was noted as a direct cause of death in 56,000 patients and an associated cause of death in about 280,000 patients in 2009 [2]. According to a national hospital discharge survey, heart failure was the first-listed diagnosis on 30% of all hospital admissions and
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