title: Left ventricular assist device support and myocardial recovery in recent onset cardiomyopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support as bridge to recovery (BTR) is uncommon for subjects with chronic heart failure. Myocardial recovery is more evident in recent onset nonischemic cardiomyopathy (ROCM); however, the prevalence of BTR in this subset has not been addressed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We examined the use of LVAD support for subjects with ROCM in the Intervention in Myocarditis and Acute Cardiomyopathy 2 (IMAC2) study. The overall cohort (n = 373) was 38% female, 21% black, with a mean age of 45 ± 14 years. LVAD support was used in 3.8% (n = 14, 43% female, age 32 ± 10). Of LVAD subjects, 57% (8/14) were BTR, including 73% (8/11) of subjects with symptoms ≤4 months at the time of support. Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) was smaller in BTR than nonrecovered (NR) subjects (P = .04). Myocardial inflammation was more common in BTR (75% versus 0%, P = .005), whereas fibrosis was less evident (25% versus 100%, P = .005). Of BTR subjects, 7/8 (87.5%) were alive and free of transplant with median follow-up of 19 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a multicenter registry of ROCM, BTR was common and occurred in the majority of subjects requiring LVAD support. Histology and LVEDD may assist in predicting potential for BTR in ROCM.
authors.affiliation: Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Boehmer
authors.forename: Randall C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Starling
authors.forename: Leslie T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torre-Amione
authors.forename: Ilan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wittstein
authors.forename: G William
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Dec
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Markham
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zucker
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gorcsan
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McTiernan
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kip
authors.forename: Dennis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: McNamara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D012042:Registries; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left