Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Costs and outcomes in Finnish heart failure patients treated with left ventricular assist device or heart transplant
- real-world, retrospective study
Authors' conclusion
Elective LVAD in patients with advanced HF offers survival outcomes comparable to HTx and incurs similar costs and is preferable to urgent LVAD, which is associated with higher costs and may lead to poorer outcomes. These findings support more proactive patient selection and care pathway optimization in advanced HF.
Study context
- Population
- Advanced heart failure (HF) patients treated at Helsinki University Hospital with heart transplantation (HTx) or elective or urgent left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapyGroup 1a 25 · Group 1b 11 · Group 2 30 · Group 3 12
- Participants
- 78 participants
- Exposure
- Outcomes and costs were indirectly compared
- Group 1an = 25
- Group 1bn = 11
- Group 2n = 30
- Group 3n = 12
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Survival · 24 months
- Group 1a: most deaths within the first 3 months
- 3 of 4
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Group 1a | Group 1b | Group 2 | Group 3 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare costs per patient · 3 months — Group 3 vs Group 1a · significantly higher costs in group 3 | median €177 380 (IQR €121 900) | median €207 826 (IQR €83 398) | median €187 558 (IQR €67 664) | median €293 355 (IQR €67 664) | P = 0.004 |
| Healthcare costs per patient · 3 months — Group 3 vs Group 2 · significantly higher costs in group 3 | P = 0.003 | ||||
| Healthcare costs per patient · 3 months — Group 3 vs Group 1b · no significant difference | P = 0.335 |
- Healthcare costs per patient: These trends were consistent at 6 months
- Healthcare costs per patient: The differences were no longer statistically significant at 12 and 24 months
6-minute walk test (6MWT) · 12 months
- 6MWT performance improved steadily over the first year in all groups
Healthcare costs per patient · 3 months
- Most healthcare expenses were concentrated within the first 3 months post-surgery
- A difference was observed when group 1a and b were pooled
Original publication
Costs and outcomes in Finnish heart failure patients treated with left ventricular assist device or heart transplant. ESC Heart Fail. Published 25 February 2026. doi:10.1093/eschf/xvag063
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it