Ventricular Assist Device Support as a Bridge to Transplantation in Pediatric Patients

• Published in: Journal of the American College of Cardiology Vol. 72; no. 4; pp. 402 - 415
• Main Authors: Dipchand, Anne I., Kirk, Richard, Naftel, David C., Pruitt, Elizabeth, Blume, Elizabeth D., Morrow, Robert, Rosenthal, David, Auerbach, Scott, Richmond, Marc E., Kirklin, James K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 24.07.2018; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Age; Cardiology; Cardiomyopathy; Cardiovascular; Children; Coronary artery disease; Data collection; Demographics; durable; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Heart diseases; Heart failure; Heart transplantation; Neonates; outcomes; Oxygenation; Patients; Pediatrics; Survival; Transplants & implants; Ventilators; Ventricle; United Kingdom > UK; North America; ECMO; heart failure; BiVAD; RVAD; MCSD; survival; LVAD; durable; outcomes; VAD; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; UNOS; PediMACS; Pediatric Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support; right ventricular assist device; United Network for Organ Sharing; biventricular VAD; mechanical circulatory support device; ventricular assist device; left ventricular assist device
• ISSN: 0735-1097; 1558-3597; 1558-3597
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.04.072

Pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) use has evolved dramatically over the last 2 decades. This study sought to describe the evolution of VAD support to heart transplantation (HTx) in children in a large international multicenter cohort. Using data from the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study, comparisons were made between children (<18 years) supported to HTx (January 1, 1993 to December 31, 2015) with VAD or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to VAD support. Of 7,135 listed patients, 5,145 underwent HTx; 995 (19.3%) were supported by a VAD (113 with congenital heart disease [CHD]). Patients with a VAD as their first device (n = 821) were older, larger, and more likely to have cardiomyopathy (80%) than patients transitioned from ECMO to VAD (n = 164). In the VAD-only cohort, 79% underwent HTx and 14% died, compared with 69% and 24% in the ECMO-to-VAD cohort, respectively. Patients with cardiomyopathy achieved HTx 84% of the time, with a 9% waitlist mortality rate compared with 55% and 36%, respectively, for CHD. Among VAD-treated patients, 79% were age >10 years in the earliest era, a percentage decreasing to 34% more recently, though neonates still represent <1%. Overall, survival at 2 and 20 years showed no difference between VAD and no support (2 years: 75% vs. 80%; 20 years: 55% vs. 54%). Post-HTx outcomes were better for durable versus temporary VADs (p < 0.01) and for continuous versus pulsatile VADs (p < 0.01) from 2005 onward; timing of VAD had no impact on post-HTx survival (p = 0.65). For one-quarter of a century, major advances have occurred in mechanical support technology for children, thereby expanding the capability to bridge to HTx without compromising post-HTx outcomes. Significant challenges remain, especially for neonates and patients with CHD, but ongoing innovation portends improved methods of support during the next decade. [Display omitted]