Clinical variability within the INTERMACS 1 profile: implications for treatment options

Short-term mechanical circulatory support in elderly patients

BACKGROUND

Age over 70 years seems to confer poor prognosis for patients under mechanical circulatory support (MCS). Advanced age is usually a relative contraindication. Our objective was to assess the impact of age on survival of patients with short-term MCS.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of ≥70-year-old patients supported with veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) or Impella CP® due to cardiogenic shock and other situations of hemodynamic instability in a referral hospital (elderly group), compared with younger patients (<70 years). We analyze factors associated with survival in elderly group.

RESULTS

Out of 164 short-term MCS implants from 2013 to October 2020, 45 (27.4%) correspond to ≥70-year-old patients (73.3% VA-ECMO; 26.7% Impella CP®), 80% as bridge to recovery and 15.6% for high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We found no significant differences in complications developed between both groups. Survivals at discharge (40% vs. 43.7%, p = 0.403) and at follow-up (median 13.6 [30] months) were similar in elderly and young patients (35.6% vs. 37.8%, log-rank p = 0.061). Predictive factors of mortality in elderly patients were peripheral artery disease (p = 0.037), higher lactate (p = 0.003) and creatinine (p = 0.035) at implant, longer cardiac arrest (p = 0.003), and worse post-implantation left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.003). Patients with indication of MCS for high-risk PCI had higher survival compared to other indications (p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

Short-term MCS with VA-ECMO or Impella CP® in elderly patients may be a reasonable option in hemodynamic compromise situations as bridge to recovery or elective high-risk PCI, without a significant increase in complications or mortality. Age should not be an absolute contraindication, but careful selection of candidate patients is necessary.

Extracorporeal resuscitation as a further modifier of clinical outcome in patients with left ventricular assist device implantation and Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support level 1

In cardiogenic shock patients with Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) level 1, the need for temporary circulatory support is a predictor and modifier of patient outcome. Because this group includes patients with and without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and is thus very heterogeneous, we investigated whether a further subclassification is useful. We compared 30-day and 1-year mortality of patients who underwent left ventricular assist device implantation after extracorporeal CPR with the aid of an extracorporeal life support system (CPR+ group; n = 40) with cardiogenic shock patients in which the extracorporeal life support system was implanted under non-CPR conditions (CPR- group, n = 68). In the CPR+ and CPR- groups, 30-day mortality was 27.5% (n = 11) and 8.8% (n = 6), respectively (P = 0.014). The values for 1-year mortality were 57.5% (n = 23) and 36.8% (n = 25), respectively (P = 0.023). The age- and gender-adjusted hazard ratios of 30-day and 1-year mortality for the CPR+ group versus the CPR- group were 3.88 (95% confidence interval 1.29-11.7; P = 0.016) and 1.79 (95% confidence interval 1.01-3.17; P = 0.045), respectively. In conclusion, our data show that left ventricular assist device implantation with extracorporeal life support following CPR is associated with high 30-day and 1-year mortality. Further multicentre studies are needed to confirm these results and potentially add CPR as a new modifier to the INTERMACS profile.

Minimally invasive surgery improves outcome of left ventricular assist device surgery in cardiogenic shock

Background

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) (HVAD, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) implantation is already a widely accepted treatment option for end-stage heart failure (HF) but also still considered as a rescue therapy for patients suffering from cardiogenic shock. Standard LVAD implantation techniques are often associated with high mortality rates and can result in severe complications, like bleeding or right heart failure (RHF). The aim of our study was to assess the outcome of Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) 1 patients (so called "crash and burn" patients) undergoing a LVAD implantation by standard or less invasive surgery.

Methods

We performed a retrospective evaluation of the 1-year outcome of 32 consecutive HF patients in cardiogenic shock, who underwent LVAD implantation in our institution. A total of 32 INTERMACS 1 patients were emergently operated. Fourteen patients (group A) were operated by using the "Hannover-VAD-technique", which is widely known to be less invasive (upper hemisternotomy and a left-sided anterolateral thoracotomy). In contrast, 18 patients (group B) were implanted with LVAD by using the standard technique (full sternotomy). The primary endpoint was survival after 1 year without device-related re-operations. Secondary endpoints included combined analyses of rates of RHF, respiratory failure and bleeding during the trial period.

Results

Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. Survival after 1 year was higher in group A (69.7% vs. 50.0%). Technique-related adverse events (AEs) were also lower in the minimally invasive group, including a lower RHF (35.7% vs. 61.1%) and of further postoperative bleeding requiring surgery (14.3% vs. 33.3%).

Conclusions

LVAD surgery in INTERMACS 1 patients is associated with remarkably good outcome considering the already very high mortality of those patients, and compared to previously reported surgical outcomes. Our study indicates that minimally invasive LVAD implantation in cardiogenic shock decreases mortality and the incidence of postoperative AEs.

Main Considerations of Cardiogenic Shock and Its Predictors: Systematic Review

The mortality rate of post-infarction cardiogenic shock (CS) was 80.0-90.0%. Recent studies show a significant reduction of hospital mortality to approximately 50.0%. CS is defined as systemic tissue hypoperfusion resulting from systolic and/or diastolic heart dysfunction, the main cause of which is acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The main predictors are biological markers such as troponin, CKMB and lactate. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis is performed in order to present and correlate the main literary findings on CS and its evolution with possible changes in biomarkers such as troponin, lactate and CKMB. After criteria of literary search with the use of the mesh terms: cardiogenic shock; acute myocardial infarction; biomarkers; troponin; CKMB; lactate; clinical trials and use of the bouleanos "and" between the mesh terms and "or" among the historical findings. In the main databases such as Pubmed, Medline, Bireme, EBSCO, Scielo, etc., a total of 96 papers that were submitted to the eligibility analysis were collated and, after that, 41 studies were selected, following the rules of systematic review - PRISMA (Transparent reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyzes-http://www.prisma-statement.org/). Some risk factors for its development in AMI are advanced age, female gender, anterior wall infarction, diabetes mellitus, systemic arterial hypertension, previous history of infarction and angina. The CS associated with AMI depends on its extent and its complications, being the main ones: mitral regurgitation, rupture of the interventricular septum and rupture of the free wall of the left ventricule. The diagnosis is based on the clinical manifestations, such as mental confusion, oliguria, hypotension, tachycardia, fine pulse, sweating, and cold extremities; in hemodynamic aspects: systolic blood pressure was < 90.0 mm Hg or 30 mm Hg below baseline, pulmonary capillary pressure was > 18.0 mm Hg and cardiac index was < 2.2 L/min/m². Laboratory and imaging exams should be requested to evaluate the possible etiology of CS, its systemic repercussions and comorbidities. The treatment aims at the rapid reestablishment of the blood flow in the affected artery, to improve the patient's prognosis. The biomarkers dosage in the daily clinical practice of the different cardiological centers can facilitate the diagnosis and the conduction of the dubious cases and the best evaluation of the degree of myocardial suffering after CS.

Long-term clinical results of acute myocardial infarction at the left main trunk requiring percutaneous cardiopulmonary support

The clinical results of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at the left main trunk (LMT) remain unclear, especially in cases requiring percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS). Twenty seven cases of AMI at the LMT requiring emergent PCPS were retrospectively investigated. These 27 patients were aged 44-83 years (65.6 ± 8.6 years) and 20 (81.5%) were men. Peak creatine kinase (CK) leakage ranged from 538 to 34,010 IU/l (13,553 ± 7656 IU/l). Eight (29.6%) patients were discharged without mechanical support. Ten (37.0%) patients underwent left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, five of whom with preoperative organ failure could not survive more than 6 months after implantation. The other nine (33.3%) patients died of low output syndrome or brain damage. The overall survival rates were 53.7, 41.3, 33.0, and 28.3% at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that Killip class 3/4 at hospital arrival was an independent risk factor for hospital mortality (odds ratio 20.4). Patients with more than 5 days of PCPS support period (n = 6), ≥ 4 h to revascularization (n = 6) or maximum CK leakage ≥20,000 IU/dl (n = 3) were not associated with successful PCPS or IABP weaning. The long-term clinical outcomes of patients with LMT disease requiring PCPS is devastating. Rapid cardiopulmonary resuscitation and coronary revascularization and timely insertion of LVAD before the onset of complications might lead to better survival.

Terminal heart failure: who should be transplanted and who should have mechanical circulatory support?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Permanent long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is currently reserved for patients who are transplant ineligible. In light of improved outcomes with current continuous flow devices, increased interest has focused on the potential extension of MCS therapy to ambulatory advanced heart failure patients and as an alternative to cardiac transplantation.

RECENT FINDINGS

Average 1-year and 2-year survival with heart transplantation is about 85 and 80%, and with MCS therapy, it is 85 and 70% (with censoring at transplant). Specific subsets of destination therapy patients enjoy survival out to 2 years, which is comparable with transplant survival. Risk factor analyses identify similar risk profiles for each therapy. Life satisfaction after each is highly dependent on the frequency and severity of adverse events, which are quite different for these interventions. Patients with long expected waiting times will likely be the initial group for triage off the transplant wait list to MCS therapy.

SUMMARY

MCS has progressively improved and may become a reasonable alternative to transplantation for highly selected patients with long expected waiting time. More routine extension of MCS therapy to the transplant population awaits further reduction of major adverse events, miniaturized devices, and less invasive implant techniques.