Increases in Serum Autoantibodies After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) can serve as a bridge to transplant or destination therapy for patients with advanced heart failure. Implantation of LVADs is known to be associated with increases in anti-HLA antibodies, but less is known about how autoantibody levels change with the use of these devices.

Autoantibody levels were quantified with the use of customized antigen microarrays in 22 patients both before and after LVAD. We observed an increase (1.5- to 2-fold) in 14 IgG autoantibodies in the serum of patients after LVAD, including autoantibodies against cardiac proteins (myosin, troponin I, tropomyosin), DNA, and structural proteins (collagen, laminin). There was also a small but significant rise in total serum IgG after LVAD. Increases in autoantibodies after LVAD were positively associated with increases in calculated panel-reactive antibody class II (P = .05) and negatively correlated with age (r = -0.45; P < .05). Cytokines were evaluated to gain insights into the mechanism of antibody generation, and we observed a positive correlation between total IgG levels after LVAD and the level of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (r = 0.60; P < .05).

LVAD implantation is associated with increases in IgG autoantibodies, anti-HLA antibodies, and total IgG. Increases in IgG after LVAD implantation may relate to an inflammatory response triggered by these devices.