Heart failure & cardiomyopathies

Primary Graft Dysfunction in Patients Supported With Durable Left Ventricular Assist Devices Before Heart Transplantation

JACC Heart FailPublished Retrospective cohort study

Authors' conclusion

HT recipients supported by durable LVADs before HT are at increased risk of PGD, but they experience less mortality associated with this post-transplant complication.

Study context

Population
Heart transplantation (HT) recipients of donation-after-brain-death hearts at 14 HT centres
Participants
4,125 recipients14 HT centres
Exposure
Durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support vs no LVAD support at the time of HT
  • LVADn = 1,091
Outcome
Severe primary graft dysfunction (PGD)
Methodological detailsmulticentre, registry (International Consortium on primary graft dysfunction (PGD))
  • Multicentre
  • Registry (International Consortium on PGD)

Main finding

As reported in the abstract

Severe PGD

P < 0.001

Severe PGD overall
365 patients (8.6%)

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Further findings

OutcomeLVADNo LVADP value
1-year mortality among patients with severe PGD28.8% (95% CI 22.0%–37.1%)40.7% (95% CI 34.6%–47.7%)log-rank P = 0.025

Risk factors for severe PGD among LVAD-supported patients

Pre-HT creatinine, CVP/PCWP ratio and overall donor ischemic time were risk factors
  • Multivariable logistic regression

Original publication

Primary Graft Dysfunction in Patients Supported With Durable Left Ventricular Assist Devices Before Heart Transplantation. JACC Heart Fail. Published 11 October 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jchf.2025.102618

Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →

Get them every week

New studies on this topic in My Week and in your Monday e-mail.

We e-mail you a sign-in link and a code. No password, no spam.