EN
TÜRKÇE
Poster - 162
Left ventricular assist device implantation for advanced heart failure in children: a chinese single-center experience
Xiangming Fan, Xicheng Zhang, Liyang Ying, Ru Lin, Qiang Shu
Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Regional Medical Center
Purpose: To summarize and evaluate our center's experience with implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) in treating children with end-stage heart failure, providing a reference for ventricular assist therapy in pediatric end-stage heart failure in China.
Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 13 children with end-stage heart failure who underwent LVAD implantation in our center between February 2023 and April 2025. Normally distributed continuous variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (x̄ ± s), non-normally distributed variables as median, and categorical variables as percentages. Postoperative mechanical ventilation duration, hospital stay, LVAD pump speed, and follow-up outcomes were compared and analyzed.
Result: A total of 13 pediatric LVAD implantations were performed, including 8 males and 5 females. The primary diagnosis was chronic heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy. Four patients had comorbid Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and 3 required ECMO support before LVAD implantation. The median age at surgery was 12.36 ± 1.08 years (range: 12 years–14 years 8 months), weight 40.37 ± 12.14 kg (range: 32–48.5 kg). Four cases underwent LVAD implantation with concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty. Average CPB time was 132.64 ± 27.61 minutes. Twelve patients showed favorable outcomes during follow-up, with significantly improved LVEF and well-functioning LVADs. One patient failed to wean from support and died on postoperative day 27.
Conclusion: LVAD implantation for pediatric end-stage heart failure at our center demonstrated generally positive outcomes, with 8 devices functioning beyond 1 year and 2 successful bridge-to-transplant cases. Implantable ventricular assist devices serve as an effective bridge to transplant, recovery, or destination therapy in children with end-stage heart failure.