Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Short-term outcomes of pediatric HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device: single center experience
- retrospective cohort study
- single tertiary cardiac centre
- consecutive patients
Authors' conclusion
HM3 LVADs have favourable safety profiles and survival outcomes in paediatric patients with end-stage heart failure. These findings support HM3’s as a viable option for managing advanced heart failure in the Saudi paediatric population, with further studies warranted to assess long-term outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Paediatric patients treated with HeartMate 3 (HM3) VAD, 2022 to 2024, Saudi Arabiaconsecutive paediatric patients treated with HM3
- Participants
- 15 patients
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
In-hospital mortality
In-hospital mortality, patients
two
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Transplantation · median follow-up 17 months
- Successful transplantation
- 60% (n = 9)
Survival · 1 year
- Overall 1-year survival
- 87%
- 1-year transplantation-free survival rate
- 55%
- No mortality beyond hospital discharge
Baseline characteristics
- Mean age (years)
- 11.07
- Females
- 67%
- Average body surface area
- 1.2 m² (range 0.85-1.76 m²)
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- n = 13, 87%
Length of stay
days
- Median ICU stay
- 42
- Median hospital stay
- 56
Follow-up
- Median follow-up period
- 17 months
Safety
Complications
- Strokes
- n = 2, 13%
- Re-exploration for bleeding
- n = 1, 7%
- Driveline infection
- n = 2, 14%
- Device thrombosis
- n = 1, 7%
Original publication
Short-term outcomes of pediatric HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device: single center experience. ESC Heart Fail. Published 8 January 2026. doi:10.1093/eschf/xvaf017
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it