Sex-Based Differences in Advanced Heart Failure

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Heart Failure Research
• Medical Statistics

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) affects men and women similarly in terms of lifetime risk and mortality.
• Women exhibit a higher propensity for developing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) compared to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
• Despite similar HF mortality, women are less represented in the advanced HFrEF population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the disparity in advanced heart failure treatment utilization between men and women.
• To explore the reasons behind the underrepresentation of women in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and heart transplantation (HT) recipient groups.
• To evaluate the outcomes of LVAD and HT in female patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of heart failure patient data.
• Comparison of demographic and treatment data between male and female patients.
• Outcome assessment for patients receiving LVAD or HT.

Main Results:

• Women constitute a significantly smaller proportion (<25%) of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and heart transplantation (HT) recipients.
• The reasons for this underrepresentation are not fully understood.
• Outcomes following LVAD implantation and heart transplantation (HT) have improved for women, demonstrating successful bridging to HT.

Conclusions:

• Women are disproportionately affected by HFpEF and are underrepresented in advanced HF therapies.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the factors contributing to the lower utilization of LVAD and HT in women.
• Current evidence suggests that women experience comparable successful outcomes to men when undergoing advanced HF interventions like LVAD and HT.