Improved early survival with the total artificial heart.

We report our experience with the total artificial heart (TAH) to determine if outcomes have improved. Thirty-one patients received the TAH as a bridge to transplant and were divided into the two groups A (eighteen implanted in the first eight years) and B (thirteen implanted in the last eight years). Changes in management included immediate sternal closure, early extubation, delayed transplant listing, early rehabilitation, and measurement of preformed antibodies. The infection rate in B was lower than in A, both during support (31% versus 39%) and following transplant (38% versus 72%), and rejection was lower in B than in A (0% versus 44%). There was no difference in neurological events between groups; however, reopening was more frequent in B (61% versus 28%). Hospital survival increased from 61% in A to 85% in B; however, this was not statistically significant. We hypothesize that this improvement was likely due to changes in patient management.