Increases in Serum Autoantibodies After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) can serve as a bridge to transplant or destination therapy for patients with advanced heart failure. Implantation of LVADs is known to be associated with increases in anti-HLA antibodies, but less is known about how autoantibody levels change with the use of these devices. METHODS AND RESULTS: Autoantibody levels were quantified with the use of customized antigen microarrays in 22 patients both before and after LVAD. We observed an increase (1.5- to 2-fold) in 14 IgG autoantibodies in the serum of patients after LVAD, including autoantibodies against cardiac proteins (myosin, troponin I, tropomyosin), DNA, and structural proteins (collagen, laminin). There was also a small but significant rise in total serum IgG after LVAD. Increases in autoantibodies after LVAD were positively associated with increases in calculated panel-reactive antibody class II (P = .05) and negatively correlated with age (r = -0.45; P < .05). Cytokines were evaluated to gain insights into the mechanism of antibody generation, and we observed a positive correlation between total IgG levels after LVAD and the level of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (r = 0.60; P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: LVAD implantation is associated with increases in IgG autoantibodies, anti-HLA antibodies, and total IgG. Increases in IgG after LVAD implantation may relate to an inflammatory response triggered by these devices.