Outcomes of Ambulatory Axillary Intraaortic Balloon Pump as a Bridge to Heart Transplantation.

BACKGROUND

The axillary intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) is frequently used in selected patients for circulatory support as a bridge to heart transplantation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of axillary intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) support for heart transplant candidates.

METHODS

The study investigators collected data on 133 patients who underwent axillary IABP support as a bridge to transplantation from July 2009 to April 2019. Of these patients, 94 (70.7%) underwent IABP insertion with surgical axillary grafts, and 39 (29.3%) underwent percutaneous IABP insertion. The outcomes of interest included ambulatory data, IABP-related complications, and successful heart transplantation with this type of support.

RESULTS

The overall preoperative ejection fraction was 20.3% ± 8.0%. The median duration of axillary IABP support was 21days, with 131patients (98.5%) mobilizing with the device. Hemodynamic variables significantly improved after the axillary IABP support was placed. Overall, 122 patients (91.7%) were successfully bridged to heart transplantation. Six patients (4.5%) required escalation to further mechanical support. Two patients (1.5%) died while awaiting transplantation. Four patients (3.0%) experienced a stroke during axillary IABP support (3 before transplantation and1 after transplantation). Two of the 3 patients with a stroke diagnosis before transplantation recovered and eventually underwent heart transplantation.

CONCLUSIONS

With axillary IABP support, most patients were able to ambulate and undergo physical rehabilitation while waiting for heart transplantation. This study demonstrates that axillary IABP results in a high success rate of bridge to transplantation and a low number of complications. Thus, an ambulatory axillary IABP provided efficient and safe support for selected patients as a bridge to heart transplantation.