Faculty Collaboration Database

Infectious complications of ventricular assist device use in children in the United States: Data from the Pediatric Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (Pedimacs). J Heart Lung Transplant 2018 Jan;37(1):46-53

Date

11/07/2017

Pubmed ID

29107545

Pubmed Central ID

PMC5849428

DOI

10.1016/j.healun.2017.09.013

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85032300815 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   21 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Infections are frequent in pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) patients. In this study we aimed to describe infections in durable VAD patients reported to Pedimacs.

METHODS: Durable VAD data from the Pedimacs registry (September 19, 2012 to December 31, 2015) were analyzed. Infections were described with standard descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier analysis and competing outcomes analysis.

RESULTS: There were 248 implants in 222 patients, with a mean age and a median follow-up of 11 ± 6.4 years and 2.4 patient-months (<1 day to 2.6 years), respectively. Device types were pulsatile flow (PF) in 91 (41%) patients and continuous flow (CF) in 131 (59%) patients. PF patients were younger (4 ± 4 vs 14 ± 4 years; p < 0.0001) and were more likely to have congenital heart disease (25% vs 12%; p = 0.03), prior surgery (53% vs 26%; p < 0.0001) and prior extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (24% vs 7%; p = 0.0003). Infection accounted for 17% (96 of 564) of the reported adverse events (AEs). A non-device infection was most common (51%), followed by sepsis (24%), external pump component infection (20%) and internal pump component infection (5%). Most infections were bacterial (73%) and required intravenous therapy only (77%). The risk of infection in the constant phase was higher in patients with a history of prior infection and in patients with a history of a non-infectious major AEs. Survival was lower after infection only in CF patients (p = 0.008).

CONCLUSIONS: Infection was the most common AE after pediatric VAD implantation. Non-device infections were most common. The best predictor of a future infection was a past infection. CF patients have higher risk of death after an infection.

Author List

Auerbach SR, Richmond ME, Schumacher KR, Lopez-Colon D, Mitchell MB, Turrentine MW, Cantor RS, Niebler RA, Eghtesady P

Authors

Michael Edward Mitchell MD Chief, Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Robert Niebler MD Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Heart Failure
Heart-Assist Devices
Humans
Male
Prosthesis-Related Infections
Registries
United States