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Survival Benefit of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Left Ventricular Assist Device–Supported Heart Failure Patients
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Survival Benefit of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Left Ventricular Assist Device–Supported Heart Failure Patients

Marwan M Refaat, Toshikazu Tanaka, Robert L Kormos, Dennis Mcnamara, Jeffrey Teuteberg, Steve Winowich, Barry London and Marc A Simon
Journal of cardiac failure, Vol.18(2), pp.140-145
02/2012
DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2011.10.020
PMCID: PMC3272629
PMID: 22300782
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/3272629View
Open Access

Abstract

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) reduce mortality in heart failure (HF). In patients requiring a ventricular assist device (VAD), the benefit from ICD therapy is not well established. The aim of this study was to define the impact of ICD on outcomes in VAD-supported patients. We reviewed data for consecutive adult HF patients receiving VAD as a bridge to transplantation from 1996 to 2003. The primary outcome was survival to transplantation. A total of 144 VADs were implanted [85 left ventricular (LVAD), 59 biventricular (BIVAD), mean age 50 ± 12 years, 77% male, left ventricular ejection fraction 18 ± 9%, 54% ischemic]. Mean length of support was 119 days (range 1–670); 103 patients (72%) survived to transplantation. Forty-five patients had an ICD (33 LVAD, 12 BIVAD). More LVAD patients had an appropriate ICD shock before implantation than after (16 vs 7; P = .02). There was a trend toward higher shock frequency before LVAD implant than after (3.3 ± 5.2 vs 1.1 ± 3.8 shocks/y; P = .06). Mean time to first shock after VAD implant was 129 ± 109 days. LVAD-supported patients with an ICD were significantly more likely to survive to transplantation [1-y actuarial survival to transplantation: LVAD: 91% with ICD vs 57% without ICD (log-rank P = .01); BIVAD: 54% vs 47% (log-rank P = NS)]. An ICD was associated with significantly increased survival in a multivariate model controlling for confounding variables (odds ratio 2.54, 95% confidence interval 1.04–6.21; P = .04). Shock frequency decreases after VAD implantation, likely owing to ventricular unloading, but appropriate ICD shocks still occur in 21% of patients. An ICD is associated with improved survival in LVAD-supported HF patients.
heart failure ventricular assist devices ventricular arrhythmias Implantable cardioverter defibrillators transplantation

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