Cardiac Recovery During Long-Term Left Ventricular Assist Device Support

BACKGROUND The number of centers with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) research programs focused on cardiac recovery is very small. Therefore, this phenomenon has been reported in real-world multi-center registries as a rare event. OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the incidence of cardiac recovery with an a priori LVAD implantation strategy of bridge-to-recovery (BTR) and constructed a recovery predictive model. METHODS The study included LVAD recipients registered in the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS). Cardiac recovery was evaluated in BTR and non-BTR patients. A weighted score was derived and externally validated in patients of the Utah Cardiac Recovery (UCAR) program. RESULTS Of 15,138 INTERMACS patients, cardiac recovery occurred in 192 (1.3%). The incidence of recovery was 11.2% (n - 14) in BTR compared with 1.2% (n - 178) in non-BTR patients (p < 0.0001). Independent predictors of recovery included: age <50 years, non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, time from cardiac diagnosis <2 years, absence of ICD, creatinine <= 1.2 mg/dl, and LVEDD <6.5 cm (c-index: 0.85; p < 0.0001). A weighted score termed I-CARS, effectively stratified patients based on their probability of recovery. I-CARS was validated in the UCAR cohort (n = 190) with good performance (AUC: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.91 to 0.98). One-year survival after LVAD explantation, available in INTERMACS for 21 (11%) patients, was 86%. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of cardiac recovery is higher in patients implanted with an a priori BTR strategy. We developed a simple tool to help identify patients in whom recovery is feasible. In BTR patients with favorable characteristics, I-CARS suggests a 24% probability of successful LVAD explantation. Large-scale studies to better address post-explantation outcomes are warranted. (C) 2016 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.