Outcomes of pediatric patients supported with ventricular assist devices single center experience

Background: There has been a remarkable increase in the number of pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) implanted over the past decade. Asian pediatric heart centers had not participated in the multicenter registries among the Western countries. This article aimed to report the outcomes of pediatric VAD in our hospital.

Methods: The study enrolled all patients aged <18 years at the time of VAD implantation in our institution between 2008 and 2021.

Results: There were 33 patients with diagnosis of acute fulminant myocarditis (n = 9), congenital heart disease (n = 5), dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 16), and others. Paracorporeal continuous-flow pump was the most frequently implanted (n = 27). Most of the devices were implanted in patients with INTERMACS profile 1 (n = 24). The median duration on VAD was 22 days (range 2-254). The proportion of patients attaining positive outcomes (alive on device, bridge to transplantation or recovery) was 72.7% at 1 month, 67.7% at 3 months, and 67.7% at 6 months. Most of the deaths on device occurred within the first month post-implant (n = 9), with neurological complications being the most frequent cause of death. All recovered cases were successfully weaned off the device within the first month of implantation.

Conclusion: We demonstrated a favorable outcome in pediatric patients supported with VAD at our institution.