title: Ventricular Assist Device in Children with Cardiac Graft Failure.
abstract: We sought to determine whether ventricular assist device (VAD) support is an effective therapy in children with cardiac graft dysfunction. We conducted a retrospective review of VAD usage in this scenario at our institution. Although short-term VAD support was highly successful (89% [eight out of nine] were bridged to recovery), only 29% (2 out of 7) with long-term VAD survived to retransplant. Of note, three out of five mortalities with long-term VAD were related to sepsis (two fungal and one Gram-negative bacterial). Infectious risk imposed by ongoing immunosuppressive therapy limits the role of long-term VAD in this population.
authors.affiliation: From the Congenital Heart Surgery Department, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Iki
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Francisco A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Guzmán-Pruneda
authors.forename: Muhammad S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: E Dean
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: Charles D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Fraser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000601:surgery; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000601:surgery; D006085:Graft Survival; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000601:surgery*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D055031:Primary Graft Dysfunction / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies