title: Outcome of patients surviving to heart transplantation after being mechanically bridged for more than 100 days.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The effect of long-term mechanical support on subsequent heart transplantation is still debated.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the outcome of 41 patients (42 +/- 12 years) bridged with left ventricular assist devices (VAD; 28 Novacor, 9 HeartMate, 2 Thoratec, and 2 DeBakey) for >100 days (218 +/- 76 days) between April 1994 and March 2000). We compared follow-up with 146 patients (55 +/- 13 years) who underwent heart transplantation during the same time without prior long-term mechanical support.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-two of the 41 patients (78%) underwent heart transplantation, 9 patients (22%) died of multi-organ (n = 5), cardiac (n = 2), or cerebral failure (n = 2). Thirty-day post-transplant mortality includes 5 cases (3 graft failures). Within the following 2 years, another 5 patients expired, 2 of cardiac failure/sudden death. Currently, 21 of 41 patients (51%) are still alive 10 to 77 months (41 +/- 22 months) after heart transplantation (1 patient was lost for follow-up). One-year and 5-year survival rates were compared with the control group (VAD vs control, 1-year survival was 75% vs 74% and 5-year survival was 60% vs 66%). Fifteen patients are doing well in New York Heart Association Class I), and 6 are NYHA Class II despite normal left ventricular ejection fraction. Episodes of moderate acute rejection (International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Grade 3) occurred in 10 patients (1.3 episodes per patient), not significantly different from that of the control group (1.2 episodes per patient). Scintigraphy showed regional myocardial ischemia/transplant vasculopathy in 4 patients, and coronary angiography detected the same in 2. One patient has undergone successful retransplantation. Two patients had increased right ventricular pressure. Six patients had impaired kidney function, and 3 had impaired liver function. Seven patients experienced cytomegalovirus infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that patients who underwent heart transplantation after long-term mechanical support have a similar survival rate and comparable cardiac morbidity associated with acute rejection episodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital, Münster, Germany. schmid@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Henryk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Welp
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klotz
authors.forename: Hideo A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: Markus J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.forename: Hans H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Scheld
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000401:mortality*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000401:mortality*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D016896:Treatment Outcome