Although more ill pretransplant, CHD patients BTT with a VAD have similar posttransplant survival compared with CHD patients without a VAD and with other non-CHD heart transplant patients. VAD support may mitigate certain risk factors for poor posttransplant outcomes in the challenging CHD cohort.

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Background: Cardiomyopathy is a common complication among muscular dystrophy (MD) patients and often results in advanced heart failure and premature death. In spite of this, there is hesitancy to consider heart transplantation (HTx). This study describes the HTx outcomes in patients with MD in the United States. Methods and Results: All HTx in the United Network for Organ Sharing database from October 1, 1987, to March 31, 2016, were identified. Two patient groups were created: MD cohort (n=81), and a cohort of all other cardiomyopathies, called cardiomyopathy-unmatched (n=41 317). Propensity score matching (ratio 1:2) was performed on transplant age, gender transplant year, renal function, and inotropic support at transplant to form a cardiomyopathy-matched cohort (n=162). Patient characteristics and posttransplant outcomes were compared. In the 81 patients with MD, Becker was the most common type (42%–52%). All the analyzed preoperative characteristics did not statistically differ between the MD and cardiomyopathy-matched cohorts except ventricular assist device use (16% versus 30%; P =0.017), ventilator support (0% versus 6%; P =0.031), and donor race mismatch (30% versus 55%; P <0.001). Median time on waitlist was not statistically different between the 2 groups (52 versus 59 days; P =0.12). Posttransplant survival of MD cohort was not statistically different compared with cardiomyopathy-matched cohort ( P =0.18; hazard ratio [95% CI], 0.71 [0.42–1.18]) and was better than the cardiomyopathy-unmatched cohort ( P =0.004; hazard ratio [95% CI], 0.53 [0.34–0.82]). Among the types of MD, no statistical difference was observed in posttransplant survival of Becker MD versus non-Becker MD ( P =0.12; hazard ratio [95% CI], 2.17 [0.79–6.01]). Conclusions: Patients with MD undergoing HTx had similar long-term posttransplant survival compared with matched cardiomyopathy-related HTx recipients. HTx appears to be an effective treatment for a select group of muscular dystrophy patients with end-stage heart failure.

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The effects of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support on renal function in children with critical illness are unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of ECMO on renal function among children in different age groups. We performed a single-center retrospective observational study in critically ill children ≤ 18 years supported on ECMO for refractory cardiac or pulmonary failure (2006-2012). The patient population was divided into four age groups for the purpose of comparisons. The Acute Kidney Injury Network's (AKIN's) validated, three-tiered staging system for acute kidney injury was used to categorize the degree of worsening renal function. Data on patient demographics, baseline characteristics, renal function parameters, dialysis, ultrafiltration, duration of mechanical cardiac support, and mortality were collected. Comparisons of baseline characteristics, duration of mechanical cardiac support, and renal function were made between the four age groups. During the study period, 311 patients qualified for inclusion, of whom 289 patients (94%) received venoarterial (VA) ECMO, 12 (4%) received venovenous (VV) ECMO, and 8 (3%) received both VV and VA ECMO. A total of 109 patients (36%) received ultrafiltration on ECMO, 58 (19%) received hemodialysis, and 51 (16%) received peritoneal dialysis. There was a steady and sustained improvement in renal function in all age groups during the ECMO run, with the maximum and longest-sustained improvement occurring in the oldest age group. Proportions of patients in different AKIN stages remained similar in the first 7 days after ECMO initiation. We demonstrate that renal dysfunction improves early after ECMO support. Irrespective of the underlying disease process or patient age, renal function improves in children with pulmonary or cardiac failure who are placed on ECMO.