Bridging cardiogenic shock patients with short-term ventricular support at a community hospital to long-term ventricular support at a tertiary hospital.
BACKGROUND
Patients in cardiogenic shock require immediate circulatory support. Outcomes of patients who underwent short-term ventricular assist device (STVAD) implantation in a community hospital (CH) as a bridge to a long-term VAD (LTVAD) were compared with those who received both implants at the same tertiary hospital (TH).


METHODS
Data were retrospectively reviewed for patients with a STVAD who were bridged to a LTVAD in a TH from 1997 to 2010. We studied outcomes and survival censored for cardiac transplantation.


RESULTS
Thirty-seven patients (73% male) were identified. Mean age was 52 ± 16 years, 30% were diabetic, and 65% had intra-aortic balloon pump support. Reasons for STVAD implantation were an acute myocardial infarction, 38%; post-cardiotomy, 38%, decompensated chronic heart failure, 19%; and others, 5%. A STVAD was implanted in a CH in 20 patients (54%), and they had fewer cardiovascular risk factors than those whose STVAD was implanted at the TH. All patients at the CH were at Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support 1 compared with 71% at the TH (p = 0.014). Patients from the CH tended to die sooner after LTVAD implant, although long-term survival was similar. At the 1-year follow-up, 65% from the CH were alive or had received a transplant vs 60% from the TH.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with cardiogenic shock in whom a STVAD was implanted in a CH and then were bridged to a LTVAD in a TH had similar long-term survival as those bridged to LTVAD at the TH.
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, 622 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA. jgcostello@hotmail.com
José
J
González-Costello
Jonathan
J
Yang
Daniel B
DB
Sims
Alexander P
AP
Kossar
Lindsay K
LK
Murray
Paolo C
PC
Colombo
Hiroo
H
Takayama
Donna
D
Mancini
Yoshifumi
Y
Naka
Ulrich P
UP
Jorde
Nir
N
Uriel
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019468:Disease Management; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012770:Shock, Cardiogenic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D015996:Survival Rate; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome