A heart transplant after total artificial heart support: initial and long-term results

At our centre, the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t) (SynCardia Systems, LLC, Tucson, AZ, USA) is used to provide long-term support for patients with biventricular failure as a bridge to a transplant. However, a heart transplant (HT) after such support remains challenging. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the immediate and long-term results following an HT in the cohort of patients who had a TAH-t implant.

A total of 73 patients were implanted with the TAH-t between 1988 and 2019 in our centre. Of these 73 consecutive patients, 50 (68%) received an HT and are included in this retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

In the selected cohort, in-hospital mortality after an HT was 10% (n = 5). The median intensive care unit stay was 33 days (range 5-278). The median hospital stay was 41 days (range 28-650). A partial or total pericardiectomy was performed during the HT procedure in 21 patients (42%) due to a severe pericardial reaction. Long-term survival rates after an HT at 5, 10 and 12 years were 79.1 ± 5.9% (n = 32), 76.5 ± 6.3% (n = 22) and 72.4 ± 7.1% (n = 12), respectively, which was similar to the long-term survival for a primary HT without TAH-t during the same period (n = 686). An HT performed within 3-6 months post-TAH-t implantation appeared to provide the best survival (P = 0.007). Eight (16%) patients required chronic dialysis during the subsequent follow-up period, with 3 patients requiring a kidney transplant.

The long-term outcomes with the SynCardia TAH-t as a bridge to transplant in patients with severe biventricular failure are very encouraging. Our review noted that an HT following TAH-t can be technically challenging, especially in the case of a severe pericardial reaction, with potential pitfalls that should be recognized preoperatively.