Heterogeneity in HeartMate 3 implanting center infection management reveals opportunities for quality improvement and best practice initiatives during left ventricular assist device support

BACKGROUND: There is marked variability in device-related (DR) infection frequencies across HeartMate 3 (HM3) centers. The goal is to correlate center driveline (DL) management and infection mitigation practices with DR-infection development, laying foundation for development of best practice recommendations for one facet of HM3 patient care. METHODS: Coordinators at 30 HM3 centers were surveyed about center practices for infection prophylaxis, intraoperative DL placement and postoperative care, and infection mitigation. Early (≤90 days) and late (>90 day) center DR-infection frequencies were calculated from Society of Thoracic Surgeons Intermacs data linkage. Correlations between center practice patterns and incident DR-infection were examined with multivariable Cox modeling (clustering adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]). RESULTS: Within Intermacs (3,725 patients), 1-year freedom from DR-infection was 87% (80.6-87.3%). Initially, DL dressing changes were performed daily, weekly, and variably at 48%, 21% and 31% of centers. After 4 weeks, 57% deescalated dressing changes to weekly. Chlorhexidine cleanser with a silver-impregnated dressing (Chl-Sil) was standard at 52.7% of programs; 47.3% used chlorhexidine alone or other supplies. Use of Chl-Sil was associated with reduced early (aHR 0.48, p=0.004) and late (aHR 0.64, p=0.02) DR-infection while frequent dressing changes conferred higher late DR-infection (aHR 1.4, p=0.05). Antibiotic prophylaxis, DL tunneling, and diabetes practices did not correlate with DR-infection. CONCLUSIONS: Given the burden of DR-infections, best practice recommendations are needed to standardize care. Application of Chl-Sil DL dressings could be a first step in achieving care standardization, while frequent dressing changes following DL incorporation should be avoided.