Left Ventricular Assist Device in the Management of Heart Failure: A Single-Center Experience.

Background: Heart failure is a prevalent health care issue in the United States. While most cases of heart failure can be managed medically, intractable cases benefit from a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

Aim: The aim of this study is to review the outcomes of LVAD therapy at the University of Kentucky.

Materials and methods: Data received from University of Kentucky Hospital. We received Institutional Review Board approval to review patient records admitted for LVAD implantation from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021.

Results: After reviewing records, we had 127 eligible LVAD patients with an age range of 18 to 83 years, with 87% of recipients being white, 12.5% being black, 81% male, and 19% female. Results show the average length of admission for patients receiving LVAD is 41 days. Quality of life is reported using the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification at follow-up, which shows 6 patients in Class I, 52 patients progressing to Class II, 21 patients to class III; other patients were deceased before discharge or did not go below class IV heart failure. Prior to 2021, there were 105 patients and 65 patients were alive at 2 years follow-up, and 18 out of 23 patients who received LVAD after 2021 are still living. For postoperative complications, 26% developed stroke, 24.4% developed gastrointestinal bleeding, 26% developed renal failure, 44.8% developed respiratory failure, 37% developed driveline infection, 14.2% developed right ventricular dysfunction/failure, and 20.4% developed an LVAD complication.

Conclusion: LVAD has been implemented to manage advanced heart failure and improve quality of life.