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Background— A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) improves survival and quality of life for many, but not all, patients with end-stage heart failure who are ineligible for transplantation. We sought to evaluate the frequency of poor outcomes using a novel composite measure that integrates quality of life with mortality. Methods and Results— Within the INTERMACS (Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support) national registry, poor outcome was defined as death or an average Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire <45 during the year after LVAD (persistently limiting heart failure symptoms and poor quality of life). Among 1638 patients with LVAD, 29.7% had a poor outcome, with death in 22.4% and persistently poor quality of life in 7.3%. Patients who had a poor outcome were more likely to have higher body mass indices (29.3 versus 28.2 kg/m 2 ; P =0.007), lower hemoglobin levels (11.1 versus 11.4 g/dL; P =0.005), previous cardiac surgery (47.8% versus 39.8%; P =0.004), history of cancer (13.8% versus 9.7%; P =0.025), severe diabetes mellitus (15.6% versus 11.5%; P =0.038), and poorer quality of life preimplant (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire scores: 29.8 versus 35.3; P <0.001). Conclusions— Nearly one third of patients die or have a persistently poor quality of life during the year after LVAD. We identified several factors associated with a poor outcome, which may inform discussions before LVAD implantation to enable more realistic expectations of recovery.
Arnold et al. (Mon,) studied this question.