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No abstract

At our institution, the majority of left ventricular assist devices are placed on an emergency basis. Few of these patients require discontinuation of device support due to undetected conditions during abbreviated preoperative evaluation. Survival before and after transplant is comparable with those of patients who undergo nonurgent left ventricular assist device placement or medical therapy.

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A risk factor summation score may predict which LVAD patients will require prolonged inotropic support following heart transplantation. However, survival in high-risk (elevated score) LVAD patients following heart transplantation is comparable to low-risk groups, favoring the continued practice of LVAD implantation as a bridge to transplantation even in high-risk patients.