• Matthias E W Kirsch, Anthony Nguyen, Ciro Mastroianni, Matteo Pozzi, Philippe Léger, Michaela Nicolescu, Shaida Varnous, Alain Pavie, and Pascal Leprince.
• Service de Chirurgie Thoracique et Cardio-Vasculaire, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Institut de Cardiologie, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Université Paris VI, Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France. matthias.kirsch@psl.aphp.fr
• Ann. Thorac. Surg. 2013 May 1; 95 (5): 1640-6.

BackgroundThe SynCardia temporary total artificial heart (t-TAH) provides complete circulatory support by replacing both native cardiac ventricles and all cardiac valves.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of demographics, clinical characteristics and survival of patients bridged to transplantation using the SynCardia t-TAH (SynCardia Systems Inc, Tucson, AZ).ResultsFrom 2000 to 2010, the SynCardia t-TAH was implanted in 90 consecutive patients (80 males; mean age, 46 ± 13 years) suffering cardiogenic shock secondary to idiopathic (n = 40, 46%) or ischemic (n = 24, 27%) cardiomyopathy or other causes. Before implantation, 7 (9%) patients had cardiac arrest, 27 (33%) were on ventilator, and 18 (22%) were on extracorporeal life support. Pre-implant creatinine values were 1.7 ± 0.97 mg/dL and total bilirubin levels were 45 ± 32 μmol/L; mean duration of support was 84 ± 102 days. Thirty-five (39%) patients died while on support after a mean of 62 ± 107 days. Actuarial survival on device was 74% ± 5%, 63% ± 6%, and 47% ± 8% at 30, 60, and 180 days after implantation. While on support, 9 (10%) patients suffered stroke, 13 (14%) had mediastinitis, and 35 (39%) required surgical reexploration for bleeding, hematoma, or infection. Multivariate analysis revealed that older recipient age and preoperative mechanical ventilation were risk factors for death while on support. Fifty-five (61%) patients were transplanted after a mean of 97 ± 98 days of support. Actuarial survival rates were 78% ± 6%, 71% ± 6%, and 63% ± 8% at 1, 5, and 8 years after transplantation.ConclusionsThe SynCardia t-TAH provided acceptable survival to transplantation rates with a remarkably low incidence of neurologic events. Posttransplant survival was similar to that of patients undergoing primary heart transplantation in France.Copyright © 2013 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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