The Annals of thoracic surgery
-
Continuous flow left ventricular assist device(CF-LVAD) support is a mainstay in the hemodynamic management of patients with end-stage heart failure refractory to optimal medical therapy. In this report, we evaluated waitlist complications and competing outcomes for CF-LVAD patients compared to primary transplant candidates listed for orthotopic heart transplantation(OHT) at a single center. ⋯ While device related-complications were significantly associated with decreased rates of transplant, CF-LVAD patients had excellent waitlist outcomes overall. In light of the 2018 allocation score change, the risk of complications should be taken into account when deciding whether to offer CF-LVAD as a bridge to transplant.