Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society
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Clinical Trial
A single German center experience with intermittent inotropes for patients on the high-urgent heart transplant waiting list.
Currently, more than 900 patients with end-stage heart failure are listed for heart transplantation in Germany. All patients on the Eurotransplant high-urgent status (HU) have to be treated in intensive care units and have to be relisted every 8 weeks. Long-term continuous inotropes are associated with tachyphylaxia, arrhythmias and even increased mortality. In this retrospective analysis, we report our single center experience with HU patients treated with intermittent inotropes as a bridging therapy. ⋯ Intermittent inotropes in HU patients are an adequate strategy as a bridge to transplant; the necessity for assist devices was low. These data provide the basis for a prospective multicenter trial of intermittent inotropes in patients on the HU waiting list.