Biventricular Assist Devices as a Bridge to Heart Transplantation Under the New Donor Heart Allocation System in the United States

Abstract

Biventricular assist devices (BiVADs) for pre-heart transplant care is rare. The outcomes of pretransplant BiVAD support after the 2018 heart transplant allocation policy change are entirely unknown at this time. The United Network of Organ Sharing database was retrospectively queried from October 2018 to June 2022 to identify patients supported to transplant with BiVADs. They were compared to patients listed as Status 2 for heart transplantation with an isolated VAD (uni-VAD). The primary outcome of interest was 1 year survival. Secondary outcomes included length of stay, posttransplant stroke, dialysis, and pacemaker implantation. The frequency of BiVAD use for heart transplantation has remained unchanged after the 2018 allocation policy change, making up approximately 2% of transplant recipients annually. Patients supported with BiVADs appeared to be similar to patients supported with uni-VADs. One year survival was similar between the groups (88.57% vs. 87.90%). Length of stay was longer and there was a trend toward higher frequencies of posttransplant dialysis use. Patients supported to transplant with BiVADs appear to have posttransplant outcomes comparable to patients commonly listed as Status 2 with an isolated VAD. Compared to past analyses, there is a suggestion of improved survival with the 2018 allocation policy change.