title: Outcome of pediatric heart transplantation recipients treated with ventricular assist device.
abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term prognosis of pediatric HTx patients treated with VAD before transplantation. The clinical data of six patients bridged to HTx with Berlin Heart EXCOR pediatric device were analyzed retrospectively. Information about graft function, CA results, and EMB findings as well as appearance DSA was collected. Also, information about growth and cognitive function was analyzed. These findings were compared with age-, gender-, and diagnosis-matched HTx patients. During the median follow-up time of four and half yr after HTx, the prognosis including graft function, number of rejection episodes, and incidence of coronary artery vasculopathy, growth and cognitive development did not differ between VAD-bridged HTx patients compared with control patients. In both groups, one patient developed positive DSA titer after HTx. Our single-center experience suggests that the prognosis of pediatric HTx patients treated with VAD before transplantation is not inferior to that of other HTx patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. timo.jahnukainen@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jahnukainen
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rautiainen
authors.forename: Ilkka P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Mattila
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Puntila
authors.forename: Anu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haavisto
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Qvist
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pihkala
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peräsaari
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Merenmies
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sairanen
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jalanko
authors.forename: Jukka T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Salminen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents