Does Indication for LVAD at Time of Implant Matter in Younger Patients

Purpose Young patients (age Methods We used linked data from UNOS and INTERMACS for years 2010-2015 to evaluate survival in DT and BTT LVAD patients up to and after transplant. These BTT LVAD (n=891) and DT LVAD patients (n=891) (age Results An increase in mortality over a 5-year period was observed among DT LVAD patients compared to BTT LVAD patients after controlling for non-matched factors including race and blood type, as well as un-matched BMI and time-dependent transplant status (RR=1.54; 95% CI: 1.24, 1.92; Figure). INTERMACS profiles were similar in BTT and DT LVAD patients. Conclusion Younger patients with DT LVAD have worse 1 and 5-year survival compared to those with BTT LVAD despite matching for age, BMI, renal function and albumin. This finding underscores the need to better understand determinants of outcomes for young patients with advanced HF.