Early Outcomes With HeartWare HVAD as Bridge to Transplant in Children: A Single Institution Experience

• Published in: Artificial organs 2016-01, Vol.40 (1), p.85-89
• Main Authors: Ferro, Giuseppe, Murthy, Raghav, Williams, Derek, Sebastian, Vinod A., Forbess, Joseph M., Guleserian, Kristine J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Factors; Cardiac transplantation; Child; Feasibility Studies; Female; Heart failure; Heart Failure - diagnosis; Heart Failure - physiopathology; Heart Failure - therapy; Heart Transplantation; Heart-Assist Devices; Humans; Male; Pediatric; Prosthesis Design; Recovery of Function; Retrospective Studies; Texas; Time Factors; Transplants & implants; Treatment Outcome; Ventricular assist device; Ventricular Function, Left
• ISSN: 0160-564X; 1525-1594
• DOI: 10.1111/aor.12637

The HeartWare HVAD has been used as a bridge to cardiac transplantation in the pediatric population. We describe outcomes following HeartWare HVAD implantation at a single center. A retrospective chart review was performed of all HeartWare HVAD implants performed at our institution between May 2013 and March 2015. Eight children between the ages of 9 and 17 years underwent HVAD implantation as a bridge to transplant (N = 7 cardiomyopathy, N = 1 complex single ventricle). There was one operative death in the complex single ventricle patient. Seven patients (87%) were successfully bridged to transplant. Median time of support was 24.5 days (range, 6–91 days). All transplanted patients are alive and well at a median follow‐up of 448 days. Our results demonstrated that mechanical support with HeartWare HVAD is feasible in patients of varying sizes (from older children to adolescents).