There is a paucity of data assessing the impact of nutritional status on outcomes in patients supported with the HeartMate 3 (HM3) left ventricular assist device (LVAD).
Patients ≥18 years of age who underwent HM3 LVAD implantation between 2015 and 2020 were identified from a single tertiary care center. The primary outcome assessed was death or device replacement. A secondary outcome of driveline infection was also evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and a multivariate Cox-proportional hazards model were used to identify predictors of outcome.
Of the 289 patients identified, 94 (33%) experienced a primary outcome and 96 (33%) a secondary outcome during a median follow-up time of 2.3 years. Independent predictors of the primary outcome included peripheral vascular disease (hazard ratio [HR], 3.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.66-6.97, P < .01), diabetes mellitus (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.27-0.80, P < .01), body mass index ≥40 kg/m 2 (HR, 2.63 per 1 kg/m 2 increase; 95% CI, 1.22-5.70, P < .05), preoperative creatinine level (HR, 1.86 per 1 mg/dL increase; 95% CI, 1.31-2.65, P < .01), and preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI) score (HR, 0.88 per 1-point increase; 95% CI, 0.81-0.96, P < .01). Independent predictors of driveline infection included age at the time of implantation (HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99, P < .01) and diabetes mellitus (HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.17-2.73, P < .01).