Results of mechanical circulatory support in France

Objective: To present the analyzed results on mechanical circulatory support (MCS) collected over a 7-year period, from 2000 to 2006, in France. Methods: A cohort of 520 patients was analyzed. Mean age was 43.7 +/- 13.6 years. The main causes of cardiac failure were ischemic cardiomyopathy (39%), idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (41.3%), or myocarditis (6.4%). Bridge to transplantation was indicated in 87.8% of patients, bridge to recovery in 9%, while destination therapy was proposed in 3.2% of patients. Results: For patients in cardiogenic shock or advanced heart failure undergoing device implantation as bridge to transplantation or recovery (n = 458), overall mortality was 39% (n = 179). The main causes of mortality under MCS were multi-organ failure (MOF) (57.4%), neurological events (14.1%), or infections (11.9%). Heart transplantation was performed in 249 (54.3%) patients. The main causes of death following heart transplantation were primary graft failure (22.4%), MOF (14.3%), neurological event (14.3%), or infection (10.2%). Long-term survival in transplanted patients was 75 +/- 2.8% at 1 year and 66 +/- 3.4% at 5 years. Conclusions: MCS is an essential therapeutic tool to save the life of young patients with cardiogenic shock or advanced cardiac failure. Early MCS implantation and the availability of a device that is adapted to the patient's clinical status are prerequisites for reducing overall mortality rates. (C) 2011 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.