Outcomes of Extremely Prolonged (> 50 d) Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support.

OBJECTIVES: There has been a sustained increase in the utilization of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) over the last decade, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We set out to describe our institutional experience with extremely prolonged (> 50 d) venovenous ECMO support for recovery or bridge to lung transplant candidacy in patients with acute respiratory failure. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A large tertiary urban care center. PATIENTS: Patients 18 years or older receiving venovenous ECMO support for greater than 50 days, with initial cannulation between January 2018 and January 2022. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One hundred thirty patients were placed on venovenous ECMO during the study period. Of these, 12 received prolonged (> 50 d) venovenous ECMO support. Eleven patients (92%) suffered from adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to COVID-19, while one patient with prior bilateral lung transplant suffered from ARDS secondary to bacterial pneumonia. The median age of patients was 39 years (interquartile range [IQR], 35-51 yr). The median duration of venovenous ECMO support was 94 days (IQR, 70-128 d), with a maximum of 180 days. Median time from intubation to cannulation was 5 days (IQR, 2-14 d). Nine patients (75%) were successfully mobilized while on venovenous ECMO support. Successful weaning of venovenous ECMO support occurred in eight patients (67%); 6 (50%) were bridged to lung transplantation and 2 (17%) were bridged to recovery. Of those successfully weaned, seven patients (88%) were discharged from the hospital. All seven patients discharged from the hospital were alive 6 months post-decannulation; 83% (5/6) with sufficient follow-up time were alive 1-year after decannulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience suggests that extremely prolonged venovenous ECMO support to allow native lung recovery or optimization for lung transplantation may be a feasible strategy in select critically ill patients, further supporting the expanded utilization of venovenous ECMO for refractory respiratory failure.

Impact of donor-recipient age-difference in adolescent heart transplantation.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between donor age and adolescent heart transplant outcomes remains incompletely understood. We aimed to explore the effect of donor-recipient age difference on survival after adolescent heart transplantation. METHODS: The United Network for Organ Sharing database was used to identify 2,855 adolescents aged 10-17 years undergoing isolated primary heart transplantation from 1/1/2000 to 12/31/2022. The primary outcome was 10-year post-transplant survival. Multivariable Cox regression identified predictors of mortality after adjusting for donor and recipient characteristics. A restricted cubic spline assessed the non-linear association between donor-recipient age-difference and the adjusted relative mortality hazard. RESULTS: The median donor-recipient age-difference was +3 (range -13 to +47) years, and 17.7% (n = 504) of recipients had an age- difference > 10 years. Recipients with an age-difference > 10 years had a less favorable pre-transplant profile, including a higher incidence of priority status 1A (81.6%, n = 411 vs. 73.6%, n = 1730; p = .01). The 10-year survival rate was 54.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 48.8- 60.4) among recipients with a donor-recipient age-difference > 10 years and 66.9% (95% CI: 64.4-69.4) among those with an age-difference ≤10 years. An age-difference > 10 years was an independent predictor of mortality (hazard ratio 1.43, 95% CI: 1.18-1.72, p < .001). Spline analysis demonstrated that the adjusted mortality hazard increased with increasingly positive donor-recipient age-difference and became significantly higher at an age-difference of 11 years. CONCLUSION: A donor-recipient age-difference > 11 years is independently associated with higher long-term mortality after adolescent heart transplantation. This finding may help inform acceptable donor selection practice for adolescent heart transplant candidates.

Repeat pediatric heart transplantation: A united network for organ sharing database analysis.

BACKGROUND: A history of congenital heart disease and previous transplantation are each independently associated with worse survival following pediatric heart transplantation. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of children undergoing repeat heart transplantation in the United States based on the underlying diagnosis. METHODS: The United Network for Organ Sharing database was used to identify 8111 patients aged <18 years undergoing isolated heart transplantation from 2000 to 2021, including 435 (5.4%) repeat transplants. Restricted cubic spline analysis assessed the non-linear relationship between inter-transplant interval and the primary outcome of all-cause mortality or re-transplantation. Multivariable Cox regression assessed the impact of re-transplantation on the primary outcome. Median follow-up was 5.0 (interquartile range 1.9-9.9) years. RESULTS: Repeat transplant patients were older (median age 12 vs. 4 years; p < .001), and less likely to be in UNOS status 1A (66.0%, n = 287 vs. 81.0% n = 6217; p < .001) than primary transplant patients. Freedom from the primary outcome was 51.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 45.5-57.2) among repeat transplants and 70.5% (95% CI 69.2-71.8) among primary transplants at 10 years (p < .001). Among repeat transplant patients, the relative hazard of the primary outcome became non-significant when the inter-transplant interval >3.6 years. Congenital heart disease was an independent predictor of mortality among primary (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.6-1.9) but not repeat transplant (HR 1.1, 95% CI .8-1.6) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term outcomes remain poor for patients undergoing repeat heart transplantation, particularly those with an inter-transplant interval <3.6 years. Underlying diagnosis does not impact outcomes after repeat transplantation, after accounting for other risk factors.

Simultaneous heart-kidney transplant in patients with borderline estimated glomerular filtration rate without dialysis dependency.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate patient selection for simultaneous heart-kidney transplantation (sHK) in patients with moderate renal dysfunction remains challenging. METHODS: From the United Network for Organ Sharing database (2003-2020), we identified 5678 adults with an estimated pre-transplant glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 30 and 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 and no pre-transplant dialysis. Patients undergoing sHK (n = 293) were compared with those undergoing heart transplantation alone (n = 5385) using 1:3 propensity score matching. RESULTS: The sHK utilization rate increased from 1.8% in 2003 to 12.2% in 2020 (p < .001). After matching, 1 and 5-year survival was 87.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 83.3-91.0) and 80.0% (95% CI 74.2-84.6) after sHK, and 87.3% (95% CI 85.2-89.1) and 71.8% (95% CI 68.4-74.9) after heart transplant alone (p = .04). In the subgroup analysis, sHK was associated with a 5-year survival benefit only in patients with 30 < eGFR ≤ 35 mL/min/1.73 m2 (p = .05) but not in those with 35 < eGFR < 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 (p = .45). Patients who underwent heart transplants alone also had a higher incidence of becoming chronic dialysis-dependent after transplant within 5-year follow-up (10.2%, 95% CI 8.0-12.6 vs. 3.8%, 95% CI 1.7-7.1, p = .004). The 5-year incidence of subsequent kidney waitlisting and transplants after heart transplants alone was 5.6% and 1.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Among propensity-matched patients without pre-transplant dialysis, compared to heart transplants alone, sHK had improved 5-year survival in those with 30 < eGFR ≤ 35 but not in those with 35 < eGFR < 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 . One-year survival was similar irrespective of eGFR. Receiving a kidney after a heart transplant alone is rare under the current allocation system.

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair for Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation.

Importance: There are limited data on the outcomes of transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair for degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) in a real-world setting. Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of transcatheter mitral valve repair for degenerative MR. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cohort study of consecutive patients in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapies Registry who underwent nonemergent transcatheter mitral valve repair for degenerative MR in the US from 2014 through 2022. Exposure: Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair with the MitraClip device (Abbott). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was MR success, defined as moderate or less residual MR and a mean mitral gradient of less than 10 mm Hg. Clinical outcomes were evaluated based on the degree of residual MR (mild or less MR or moderate MR) and mitral valve gradients (≤5 mm Hg or >5 to <10 mm Hg). Results: A total of 19 088 patients with isolated moderate to severe or severe degenerative MR who underwent transcatheter mitral valve repair were analyzed (median age, 82 years; 48% women; median Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality with surgical mitral valve repair, 4.6%). MR success was achieved in 88.9% of patients. At 30 days, the incidence of death was 2.7%; stroke, 1.2%; and mitral valve reintervention, 0.97%. MR success compared with an unsuccessful procedure was associated with significantly lower mortality (14.0% vs 26.7%; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.42-0.56; P < .001) and heart failure readmission (8.4% vs 16.9%; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.41-0.54; P < .001) at 1 year. Among patients with MR success, the lowest mortality was observed in patients who had both mild or less residual MR and mean mitral gradients of 5 mm Hg or less compared with those with an unsuccessful procedure (11.4% vs 26.7%; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.34-0.47; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In this registry-based study of patients with degenerative MR undergoing transcatheter mitral valve repair, the procedure was safe and resulted in successful repair in 88.9% of patients. The lowest mortality was observed in patients with mild or less residual MR and low mitral gradients.

Long-term outcomes after heart transplantation using ex vivo allograft perfusion in standard risk donors: A single-center experience.

INTRODUCTION: The Organ Care System (OCS) is an ex vivo perfusion platform for donor heart preservation. Short/mid-term post-transplant outcomes after its use are comparable to standard cold storage (CS). We evaluated long-term outcomes following its use. METHODS: Between 2011 and 2013, 38 patients from a single center were randomized as a part of the PROCEED II trial to receive allografts preserved with CS (n = 19) or OCS (n = 19). Endpoints included 8-year survival, survival free from graft-related deaths, freedom from cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), non-fatal major adverse cardiac events (NF-MACE), and rejections. RESULTS: Eight-year survival was 57.9% in the OCS group and 73.7% in the CS group (p = .24). Freedom from CAV was 89.5% in the OCS group and 67.8% in the CS group (p = .13). Freedom from NF-MACE was 89.5% in the OCS group and 67.5% in the CS group (p = .14). Eight-year survival free from graft-related death was equivalent between the two groups (84.2% vs. 84.2%, p = .93). No differences in rejection episodes were observed (all p > .5). CONCLUSIONS: In select patients receiving OCS preserved allografts, late post-transplant survival trended lower than those transplanted with an allograft preserved with CS. This is based on a small single-center series, and larger numbers are needed to confirm these findings.

Heart transplantation after total artificial heart bridging-Outcomes over 15 years.

BACKGROUND: Data are limited on outcomes after heart transplantation in patients bridged-to-transplantation (BTT) with a total artificial heart (TAH-t). METHODS: The UNOS database was used to identify 392 adult patients undergoing heart transplantation after TAH-t BTT between 2005 and 2020. They were compared with 11 014 durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) BTT patients and 22 348 de novo heart transplants (without any durable VAD or TAH-t BTT) during the same period. RESULTS: TAH-t BTT patients had increased dialysis dependence compared to LVAD BTT and de novo transplants (24.7% vs. 2.7% vs. 3.8%) and higher levels of baseline creatinine and total bilirubin (all p < .001). After transplantation, TAH-t BTT patients were more likely to die from multiorgan failure in the first year (25.0% vs. 16.1% vs. 16.1%, p = .04). Ten-year survival was inferior in TAH-t BTT patients (TAH-t BTT 53.1%, LVAD BTT 61.8%, De Novo 62.6%, p < .001), while 10-year survival conditional on 1-year survival was similar (TAH-t BTT 66.8%, LVAD BTT 68.7%, De Novo 69.0%, all p > .20). Among TAH-t BTT patients, predictors of 1-year mortality included higher baseline creatinine and total bilirubin, mechanical ventilation, and cumulative center volume <20 cases of heart transplantation involving TAH-t BTT (all p < .05). CONCLUSION: Survival after TAH-t BTT is acceptable, and patients who survive the early postoperative phase experience similar hazards of mortality over time compared to de novo transplant patients and durable LVAD BTT patients.

Surgery and transcatheter intervention for degenerative mitral regurgitation in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated practice trends and 3-year outcomes of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) and surgical repair for degenerative mitral regurgitation in the United States. METHODS: From the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data (2012-2019), 53,117 mitral valve interventions (surgery or TEER) were performed for degenerative mitral regurgitation, identified by excluding rheumatic and congenital disease, endocarditis, myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, and concomitant or prior coronary revascularizations. Median follow-up was 2.9 years (interquartile range, 1.2-5.1 years). End points were 3-year survival, stroke, mitral reinterventions, and heart failure readmissions. RESULTS: Volume of total annual mitral interventions did not significantly change (P = .18) between 2012 and 2019. However, surgical cases decreased by one-third, whereas TEER increased. Among 27,170 patients (52.5% men; mean age, 73.5 years) who underwent TEER (n = 7755) or surgical repair (n = 19,415), surgical patients were younger (71.8 vs 80.8 years; P < .001), with less comorbidity and frailty. In 4532 patient pairs matched for age, frailty, and comorbidity, 3-year survival after TEER was 65.9% (95% CI, 64.3%-67.6%) and 85.7% (95% CI, 84.5%-86.9%) after surgery (P < .001). Three years after TEER or surgery, stroke rates were 1.8% (95% CI, 1.5%-2.2%) and 2.0% (95% CI, 1.6%-2.4%) (P = .49); heart failure readmission rates were 17.8% (95% CI, 16.7%-18.9%) and 11.2% (95% CI, 10.3%-12.2%) (P < .001); and mitral reintervention rates were 6.1% (95% CI, 5.5%-6.9%) and 1.3% (95% CI, 1.0%-1.7%) (P < .001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Among Medicare beneficiaries with degenerative mitral regurgitation, an increase in TEER utilization was associated with worse survival, increased heart failure readmissions, and more mitral reinterventions. Randomized trials are needed to better inform treatment choice.

Heart transplantation in patients from socioeconomically distressed communities.

BACKGROUND: Studies examining heart transplantation disparities have focused on individual factors such as race or insurance status. We characterized the impact of a composite community socioeconomic disadvantage index on heart transplantation outcomes. METHODS: From the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), we identified 49,340 primary, isolated adult heart transplant candidates and 32,494 recipients (2005-2020). Zip code-level socioeconomic disadvantage was characterized using the Distressed Community Index (DCI: 0-most prosperous, 100-most distressed) based on education, poverty, unemployment, housing vacancies, median income, and business growth. Patients from distressed communities (DCI ≥ 80) were compared to all others. RESULTS: Patients from distressed communities were more often non-white, less educated, and had public insurance (all p < 0.01). Distressed patients were more likely to require ventricular assist devices at listing (29.4 vs 27.1%) and before transplant (44.8 vs 42.0%, both p < 0.001), and they underwent transplants at lower-volume centers (23 vs 26 cases/year, p < 0.01). Distressed patients had higher 1-year waitlist mortality or deterioration (12.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 11.6-13.0] vs 10.9% [95% CI 10.5-11.3]) and inferior 5-year survival (75.3% [95% CI 74.0-76.5] vs 79.5% [95% CI 79.0-80.0]) (both p < 0.001). After adjustment, living in a distressed community was independently associated with an increased risk of waitlist mortality or deterioration hazard ratio (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.18) and post-transplant mortality (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.06-1.20). CONCLUSIONS: Patients from socioeconomically distressed communities have worse waitlist and post-transplant mortality. These findings should not be used to limit access to heart transplantation, but rather highlight the need for further studies to elucidate mechanisms underlying the impact of community-level socioeconomic disparity.

Limited cumulative experience with ex vivo lung perfusion is associated with inferior outcomes after lung transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) allows for prolonged preservation and evaluation/resuscitation of donor lungs. We evaluated the influence of center experience with EVLP on lung transplant outcomes. METHODS: We identified 9708 isolated, first-time adult lung transplants from the United Network for Organ Sharing database (March 1, 2018-March 1, 2022), 553 (5.7%) involved using donor lungs after EVLP. Using the total volume of EVLP lung transplants per center during the study period, centers were dichotomized into low- (1-15 cases) and high-volume (>15 cases) EVLP centers. RESULTS: Forty-one centers performed EVLP lung transplants, including 26 low-volume and 15 high-volume centers (median volume, 3 vs 23 cases; P < .001). Recipients at low-volume centers (n = 109) had similar baseline comorbidities compared with high-volume centers (n = 444). Low-volume centers used numerically more donation after circulatory death donors (37.6 vs 28.4%; P = .06) and more donors with Pao2/Fio2 ratio <300 (24.8 vs 9.7%; P < .001). After EVLP lung transplants, low-volume centers had worse 1-year survival (77.8% vs 87.5%; P = .007), with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.63 (95% CI, 1.06-2.50, adjusting for recipient age, sex, diagnosis, lung allocation score, donation after circulatory death donor, donor Pao2/Fio2 ratio, and total annual lung transplant volume per center). When compared to non-EVLP lung transplants, 1-year survival of EVLP lung transplants was significantly worse at low-volume centers (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.47-2.97) but similar at high-volume centers (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.82-1.58). CONCLUSIONS: The use of EVLP in lung transplantation remains limited. Increasing cumulative EVLP experience is associated with improved outcomes of lung transplantation using EVLP-perfused allografts.

Descending Thoracic and Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repairs - The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary national outcomes of open and endovascular aortic repair for descending thoracic (DTAA) and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA) are unclear. We evaluated this using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (STS-ACSD). METHODS: From 07/01/2017 to 6/30/2022, we identified 3522 adults undergoing planned DTAA repair (open 328, endovascular 1895) or TAAA repair (open 870, endovascular 429), after excluding ascending aorta or aortic arch aneurysms (zone 0, 1, or 2), interventions with a proximal extent in zone 0 or zone 1, juxtarenal/infrarenal aortic interventions, hybrid procedures, aortic trauma, and aortic infection. RESULTS: Most DTAA interventions (85.2%) were endovascular repairs, while most TAAA interventions were open repairs (66.9%). For DTAA, the operative mortality, permanent stroke rate, and rate of spinal cord injury were 4.2%, 3.8%, and 2.4% for endovascular repair and 9.2%, 8.5%, and 4.6% for open repair, respectively (all p<0.05). For TAAA, the operative mortality, permanent stroke rate, and rate of spinal cord injury were 6.5%, 2.1%, and 3.0% for endovascular repair and 11.7%, 6.0%, and 12.2% for open repair (all p<0.05). Increasing annual open TAAA repair volume was associated with lower odds of experiencing the composite of operative mortality, permanent stroke, or spinal cord injury. CONCLUSIONS: Based on STS-ACSD data, endovascular repair was the predominant approach for treating DTAA, while most patients undergoing TAAA interventions had an open surgical repair. Outcome differences between open and endovascular approaches may be related to patient selection. Increasing center experience with open TAAA repair is associated with improved outcomes.

Impact of minimally invasive lung transplantation on early outcomes and analgesia use: A matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive (MI) approaches to lung transplantation (LTx) offer the prospect of faster recovery compared to traditional incisions, however, little data exist describing the impact of surgical technique on early outcomes and analgesia use. METHODS: A prospectively maintained institutional registry identified 170 patients who underwent LTx between January, 2017 and June, 2022. Post-COVID acute respiratory distress syndrome, repeat, and multiorgan transplants were excluded (n = 27) leaving 37 MILTx and 106 traditional LTx patients. Propensity score matching by age, sex, body mass index, diagnosis, lung allocation score, double vs. single lung, hypertension, diabetes, and hospitalization status created 37 pairs. RESULTS: Before matching, MILTx patients were more often male (70% vs 43%) and more likely to receive grafts from younger (31 vs 42 years), circulatory death donors (19% vs 6%) compared with traditional LTx patients (all p < 0.05). After matching, there were no differences in graft warm ischemia or operative duration (both p > 0.05). Postoperatively, MILTx experienced shorter intensive care unit (ICU) (4.3 [IQR 3.1-5.5] vs 8.2 [IQR 3.7-10.8] days) and hospital lengths of stay (LOS) (13 [IQR 11-15] vs 17 [IQR 12-25] days) (both p < 0.05). Among patients surviving to discharge, MILTx patients required fewer opioid prescriptions at discharge (38% vs 66%, p = 0.008) and had improved pulmonary function at 3 months (Forced expiratory volume in 1 second 82 [IQR 72-102] vs 77 [IQR 52-88]% predicted; forced vital capacity 78 [IQR 65-92] vs 70 [IQR 62-80]% predicted] (both p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive LTx techniques demonstrate potential advantages over traditional approaches, including reduced ICU and hospital LOS, lower opioid use on discharge, and improved early pulmonary function.

Successful Reuse of a Donor Heart.

At a time when transplantable organs are in a shortage, few cases have noted the reuse of donor hearts in a second recipient in an effort to expand the donor network. Here, we present a case in which an O Rh-positive donor heart was first transplanted into a B Rh-positive recipient and later successfully retransplanted into a second O Rh-positive recipient 10 days after the initial transplant at the same medical center. On postoperative day 1, the first recipient, a 21-year-old man with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, sustained a devastating cerebrovascular accident with progression to brain death. With preserved left ventricle and mildly depressed right ventricle function, the heart was allocated to the second recipient, a 63-year-old male patient with familial restrictive cardiomyopathy. The bicaval technique was used, and the total ischemic time was 100 minutes. His postoperative course was uncomplicated with no evidence of rejection on 3 endomyocardial biopsies. Follow-up transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a left ventricular ejection fraction of 60% to 70%. Seven months posttransplant, the second recipient was doing well with appropriate left and right ventricular function. With careful organ selection, short ischemic time, and proper postoperative care, retransplant of donor hearts may be an option for select patients in need of heart transplant.

Isolated Tricuspid Operations: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Population-level data are limited regarding contemporary practice and outcomes of isolated tricuspid operations. We evaluated this using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. METHODS: We identified 14,704 isolated tricuspid operations from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2020. After excluding patients with endocarditis, tricuspid stenosis, emergent/emergent salvage status, previous heart transplants, and missing tricuspid operation type, 6507 patients remained. Endpoints were operative mortality and composite major comorbidities (permanent stroke, renal failure, prolonged ventilation > 24 hours, deep sternal wound infection, cardiac reoperations, and new permanent pacemaker implantation). RESULTS: Isolated tricuspid operations increased from 2012 (983 cases) to 2019 (2155 cases, P < .001). Median annual center volume was 2 cases (range, 1-81). In the final cohort (n = 6507; median age, 65 years; 38.5% men), 40% had New York Heart Association class III/IV heart failure and 24% had nonelective operations. The operative mortality was 7.3% (1.7% in patients without these risk factors), and new permanent pacemaker implant rate was 10.8%. In the multivariable analysis, factors associated with operative mortality included New York Heart Association class III/IV heart failure (odds ratio [OR], 1.57), nonelective operations (OR, 1.91), tricuspid replacement (OR, 1.56), annual center volume ≤ 5 cases (OR, 1.37), and higher model for end-stage liver disease scores (all P < .05). Beating heart operation was associated with a lower adjusted risk of pacemaker implant (OR, 0.69), renal failure (OR, 0.75), and blood transfusions (OR, 0.8) compared with full cardioplegic arrest (all P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Isolated tricuspid repair was associated with lower adjusted mortality and morbidities than replacement. Beating heart operation was associated with lower adjusted major morbidities. The preoperative model for end-stage liver disease scores may identify high-risk patients, and early referral to higher volume centers may help improve outcomes.

Bridging with surgically placed microaxial left ventricular assist devices: a high-volume centre experience.

OBJECTIVES: The Impella 5.0 and 5.5 have largely superseded non-ambulatory temporary mechanical support devices; yet, clinical outcomes are predominantly limited to small series: this study presents the experience of a high-volume centre. METHODS: An institutional clinical registry was used to identify all patients with cardiogenic shock who underwent Impella 5.0 or 5.5 implantation from January 2014 to March 2022. The primary outcome was survival to device explantation. RESULTS: The study cohort comprised 221 patients, including 146 (66.1%) Impella 5.0 and 75 (33.9%) Impella 5.5 patients. The primary aetiology was non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (50.7%, n = 112), ischaemic cardiomyopathy (23.1%, n = 51) and acute myocardial infarction (26.2%, n = 58). Patients were prospectively classified according to strategy as bridge to transplant (47.5%, n = 105), bridge to durable device (13.6%, n = 30) or bridge to recovery (38.9%, n = 86). Patients were predominantly Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support profile 1 or 2 (95.0%, n = 210). The median bridging duration was 14 (range 0-137) days. Device exchange, Ischaemic stroke and ipsilateral arm ischaemia occurred in 8.1% (n = 18), 2.7% (n = 6) and 1.8% (n = 4) of patients, respectively. Compared to the 75 most recent Impella 5.0 patients, Impella 5.5 patients (n = 75) had lower rates of device exchange (4.0%, n = 3 vs 13.3%, n = 10, P = 0.04). Overall, 70.1% (n = 155) of patients survived to Impella explantation. CONCLUSIONS: The Impella 5.0 and 5.5 provide safe and effective temporary mechanical support in appropriately selected patients with cardiogenic shock. The newer device generation may have a lower requirement for device exchange as compared to its predecessor.

Socioeconomic disparities in midterm outcomes after repair for degenerative mitral regurgitation.

OBJECTIVE: The influence of socioeconomic disparities on survival after mitral repair is poorly defined. We examined the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and midterm outcomes of repair in Medicare beneficiaries with degenerative mitral regurgitation. METHODS: US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data were used to identify 10,322 patients undergoing isolated first-time repair for degenerative mitral regurgitation between 2012 and 2019. Zip code-level socioeconomic disadvantage was dichotomized with the Distressed Communities Index, which incorporates education level, poverty, unemployment, housing security, median income, and business growth; those with Distressed Communities Index score ≥80 were classified as distressed. The primary outcome was survival, censored at 3 years. Secondary outcomes included cumulative incidences of heart failure readmission, mitral reintervention, and stroke. RESULTS: Of the 10,322 patients undergoing degenerative mitral repair, 9.7% (n = 1003) came from distressed communities. Patients from distressed communities underwent surgery at lower volume centers (11 vs 16 cases/year) and traveled further for surgical care (40 vs 17 miles) (both P values < .001). At 3 years, unadjusted survival (85.4%; 95% CI, 82.9%-87.5% vs 89.7%; 95% CI, 89.0%-90.4%) and cumulative incidence of heart failure readmission (11.5%; 95% CI, 9.6%-13.7% vs 7.4%; 95% CI, 6.9%-8.0%) were worse in patients from distressed communities (all P values < .001), whereas mitral reintervention rates were similar (2.7%; 95% CI, 1.8%-4.0% vs 2.8%; 95% CI, 2.5%-3.2%; P = .75). After adjustment, community distress was independently associated with 3-year mortality (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01-1.46) and heart failure readmissions (hazard ratio, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.04-1.58). CONCLUSIONS: Community-level socioeconomic distress is associated with worse outcomes in degenerative mitral repair among Medicare beneficiaries.

Lung transplantation outcomes in patients from socioeconomically distressed communities.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated racial and gender disparities in lung allocation, but contemporary data regarding socioeconomic disparities in post-transplant outcomes are lacking. We evaluated the impact of a composite socioeconomic disadvantage index on post-transplant outcomes. METHODS: The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients identified 27,763 adult patients undergoing isolated primary lung transplantation between 2005 and 2020. Zip code-level socioeconomic distress was characterized using the Distressed Communities Index (DCI: 0-no distress, 100-severe distress) based on education level, poverty, unemployment, housing vacancies, median income, and business growth, and patients were stratified into high (DCI ≥60) or low (DCI <60) distressed groups. RESULTS: Recipients from high-distress communities (n = 8006, 28.8%) were younger (59years [interquartile range {IQR} 50-64] vs 61years [IQR 52-66]), less often white (73 vs 85%), less likely to have a college degree (45 vs 59%), and more likely to have public insurance (57 vs 49%, all p < 0.001) compared to those from low-distress communities. Additionally, high-distress recipients were more likely to have group A diagnoses (32 vs 27%) and undergo bilateral lung transplants (72.4 vs 69.3%, all p < 0.001). Post-transplant survival at 5years was 55.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 54.4-56.9) in high-distress recipients and 58.2% (95% CI: 57.4-58.9) in low-distress recipients (p = 0.003). After adjustment, high distress level was independently associated with an increased risk of 5-year mortality (hazard ratio:1.09, 95% CI:1.04-1.15). CONCLUSIONS: Recipients from distressed communities are at increased mortality risk following lung transplantation. Efforts should be focused on increased resource allocation and further study to better understand factors which may mitigate this disparity.

Preserved 2-y Liver Transplant Outcomes Following Simultaneous Thoracoabdominal DCD Organ Procurement Despite Effects on Liver Utilization Rate.

Background: Current techniques for donation after circulatory determination of death (DCD) heart procurement, through either direct procurement and machine perfusion or thoracoabdominal normothermic regional perfusion (NRP), have demonstrated excellent heart transplant outcomes. However, the impact of thoracoabdominal DCD (TA-DCD) heart procurement on liver allograft outcomes and utilization is poorly understood. Methods: One hundred sixty simultaneous heart and liver DCD donors were identified using the United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database between December 2019 and July 2021. Liver outcomes from TA-DCD donors were stratified by heart procurement technique and evaluated for organ utilization, graft survival, and patient survival. Results were compared with abdominal-only DCD (A-DCD; n = 1332) and donation after brain death (DBD; n = 12 891) liver transplants during the study interval. Kaplan-Meier methods with log-rank testing were used to evaluate patient and graft survival. Results: One hundred thirty-three of 160 livers procured from TA-DCD donors proceeded to transplant. TA-DCD donors were younger (mean 28.26 y; P < 0.0001) with lower body mass index (mean 26.61; P < 0.0001) than A-DCD and DBD donors. TA-DCD livers had equivalent patient survival ( P = 0.893) and superior graft survival (P = 0.009) compared with A-DCD. TA-DCD livers had higher rates of organ discard for long warm ischemia time (37.0%) than A-DCD (20.5%) and DBD (0.5%; P < 0.0001), with direct procurement and machine perfusion procurements leading to a higher discard rate (18.5%) than NRP procurements (7.4%). Conclusions: Liver transplants after TA-DCD donation demonstrated equivalent patient outcomes and excellent graft outcomes. NRP procurements resulted in the lowest rate of organ discard after DCD donation and may represent an optimal strategy to maximize organ utilization.