Periprocedural Dynamics of Aortic Regurgitation in Patients Supported With an Impella Left Ventricular Assist Device

To determine the presence of and periprocedural changes caused by aortic regurgitation (AR) in patients supported with an Impella (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) left ventricular assist device.

Retrospective.

Tertiary academic medical center.

Patients who underwent insertion of an Impella device at Allegheny General Hospital from January 2015 to December 2018.

Analysis of patient electronic medical records.

Demographic information; comorbidities; duration of support; and the presence and severity of AR pre-procedure and post-procedure, as reported by echocardiography, were analyzed. The electronic medical records of 69 patients were included in the present study. Before placement of the Impella device, 25 (35%) patients showed detectable AR, with 18 (26%) showing mild AR and 7 (10%) showing moderate AR. After the removal of the Impella device, AR remained steady or increased in 61 patients. Fifteen patients (22%) demonstrated mild AR, 6 (8.7%) demonstrated moderate AR, and 2 (2.9%) demonstrated severe AR. An increase in severity of AR was noted in 9 patients (14.7%), and 52 patients (85%) had no change in the severity of AR. The duration of support with the Impella device, demographic variables, and comorbidities were not associated with a statistically significant risk for increased severity of post-procedural AR in multiple multivariable logistic regression analyses.

The presented data suggest that after Impella device support, a significant proportion of patients may show evidence of increased AR. Additional studies are needed to understand the etiology and significance of this observation.