Friday, August 17, 2007

Ventricular Assist Devices help improve survival rate post-heart surgery

In the largest study ever examining the success of ventricular assist devices (VAD) at reducing patient death following cardiac surgery, DCRI researchers found that survival rates have improved significantly over the years. VADS help the heart pump blood throughout the body.

The research team, led by the DCRI's Adrian Hernandez, MD, reviewed data on 5,735 patients who had VADs implanted between 1995 and 2004. The data came from U.S. hospitals participating in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' National Cardiac Database.

The study was published in the August 7 issue of Circulation.

The objective for this study was to use data from a large base of patients to better predict how patients will respond to having VADs. The “prediction” data could then be used to help families and physicians decide if the use of VADs is an appropriate treatment option. Physicians will recommend VADs when a patient has developed post-cardiac surgery shock and other treatments have not been successful.

Previously, the largest study on this subject involved 965 patients who received VADs between 1985 and 1990. Past studies in this area indicated that 75% of patients who received a VAD following heart surgery died before they were discharged from the hospital. Some newer studies indicated that survival rates had improved but those were limited in scope and size, according to Hernandez.

In this study, Hernandez found that death rates have dropped from 75% to approximately 40%. This was true even among older patients.

Researchers believe that improvements in VAD technology have helped to improve patient survival. A better understanding of risk factors can also help determine if giving a patient a VAD will increase their chances of surviving post-cardiac surgery shock.

Other DCRI researchers involved in the study were Joshua Grab, MS; Sean O'Brien, PhD; Bradley Hammill, MA; Joseph Rogers, MD and Eric Peterson, MD, MPH. This study was funded by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and performed at the DCRI.