Right Ventricular Assist Device Placement During Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation Is Associated With Improved Survival

Right ventricular failure (RVF) is a significant cause of mortality in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Although right ventricular assist devices (RVADs) can treat RVF in the perioperative LVAD period, liberal employment before RVF is not well established. We therefore compared the survival outcomes between proactive RVAD placement at the time of LVAD implantation with a bailout strategy in patients with RVF. Retrospectively, 75 adult patients who underwent durable LVAD implantation at our institution and had an RVAD placed proactively before LVAD implantation or as a bailout strategy postoperatively due to hemodynamically unstable RVF were evaluated. Patients treated with a proactive RVAD strategy had lower Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) and a higher proportion of these required temporary mechanical circulatory support (MCS) preoperatively. Preoperative hemodynamic profiling showed a low pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi) score of 1.8 +/- 1.4 and 1.6 +/- 0.94 (p = 0.42) in the bailout RVAD and proactive RVAD groups, respectively. Survival at 3, 6, and 12 months post-LVAD implantation was statistically significantly higher in patients who received a proactive RVAD. Thus, proactive RVAD implantation is associated with short- and medium-term survival benefits compared to a bailout strategy in RVF patients undergoing LVAD placement.