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Updated: Dec 28, 2025
Use of a Percutaneous Ventricular Assist Device/Left Atrium to Femoral Artery Bypass System for Cardiogenic Shock
Published on: August 16, 2021
Outcomes of Asian-Americans Implanted With Left Ventricular Assist Devices: An Interagency Registry for Mechanically
Iosif Taleb1, James Wever-Pinzon1, Wenyan Wang2
1University of Utah Healthcare and School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Background:
Studies have indicated differences between Asians and Whites in their propensity for stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, bleeding and thrombosis. We investigated whether Asian-Americans on durable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) exhibit differential morbidity and mortality when compared to Whites.
Methods:
We analysed prospectively collected data from the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) database to compare the outcomes after LVAD implantation of Asians versus Whites.
Results:
In total, 7,018 patients were included, 130 were identified as Asian-Americans. Asian-Americans were younger, had lower body mass index, higher serum bilirubin and lower albumin levels. In a multivariable regression model, there was no difference in survival between the two groups. Asian-Americans had lower incidence of device malfunction and after adjusting for multiple factors this remained lower. The adjusted risk of a major safety composite outcome, including major bleeding, major infection, stroke and device malfunction, revealed no difference between the two groups.
Conclusions:
Although prior studies have reported worse cardiac surgery outcomes in Asians, in this INTERMACS analysis Asian-Americans appear to have similar survival and risk of adverse events as their White counterparts. The incidence of device malfunction was lower in the Asian-Americans, both in a univariate model and after adjusting for multiple clinical factors. Future, larger studies of Asian-Americans with end-stage heart failure and LVAD support are warranted to confirm these results.
