Effect of diabetes on short- and long-term outcomes after left ventricular assist device implantation.
BACKGROUND
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a frequent co-morbidity in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Implantation of LVADs is an acceptable option for diabetic patients with end-stage heart failure, yet no previous study has specifically examined the clinical outcomes of this patient population.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis was performed on all patients who underwent LVAD insertion at a single institution from June 17, 1996 to April 14, 2004. Patients were divided into 2 groups: diabetics (DM) and non-diabetics (NDM). The groups were compared with regard to demographics, etiology of heart failure, body mass index (BMI), intensive care unit (ICU) stay, early mortality (< or =30 days), bridge-to-transplantation rate and post-LVAD and post-transplant survival.


RESULTS
Two hundred one patients were identified. Of these, 49 (24.4%) had DM. Compared with the NDM group, DM patients had a higher mean body mass index (30.1 +/- 6.0 vs 26.1 +/- 4.8, p < 0.001) and a higher proportion of hypertension (57.4% vs 19.7%, p < 0.001). Although post-LVAD survival was similar, post-transplant survival in DM patients was significantly lower compared with NDM patients, with 1-, 3-, 5- and 7-year actuarial survival rates of 86.9%, 71.0%, 56.5% and 56.5% vs 90.5%, 88.4%, 83.0% and 80.7% (p = 0.020), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Carefully selected diabetic patients can be successfully bridged to transplantation using LVADs with comparable outcomes to non-diabetic patients. Reasons for diminished post-transplant survival in this cohort are unclear and necessitate the conductance of multi-institutional studies to evaluate outcomes.
Topkara
Veli K
VK
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Dang
Nicholas C
NC
Martens
Timothy P
TP
Cheema
Faisal H
FH
Liu
Judy F
JF
Liang
Lorraine M
LM
Cheema
Ayesha F
AF
Barili
Fabio
F
Oz
Mehmet C
MC
Naka
Yoshifumi
Y
D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000628:therapy*