Status 2 Patients Had Poor Prognosis Without Mechanical Circulatory Support

BACKGROUND: Indication for mechanical circulatory support (MCS) has been a matter of debate in less sick status 2 patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were obtained from 183 consecutive patients assigned to stage D heart failure (HF) who were evaluated by the institutional review board of the University of Tokyo Hospital and then listed for heart transplantation as status 1 or 2 of the Japan Organ Transplant Network. Patients with status 2 (n=38) had a prognosis as poor as those dependent on inotropes (n=54) or MCS (n=91; P=0.615, log-rank test), and only 4 of them had eventual ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation (10.5%). Patients who eventually received VAD (n=92) had better 4-year survival than those without MCS among status 1 and 2 (P=0.030, log-rank test). On Cox regression analysis plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) >740pg/ml was the only significant predictor for 4-year survival among the status 2 group (P=0.014; hazard ratio, 8.267). Ten patients with status 2 died: 6 due to acute hemodynamic compromise and 4 due to ventricular fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: Prognosis in status 2 patients was as poor as that of those dependent on inotrope infusion or VAD, mostly because of out-of-hospital sudden death without MCS. Status 2 patients with considerably high plasma BNP may be good candidates for continuous flow VAD therapy.