Objectives: Limited data are available for use of the HeartMate 3 (HM 3) left ventricular assist device in patients with a small body surface area (BSA). Because the HM 3 is currently the sole device available worldwide, we conducted a single-centre retrospective study of patients with a small BSA (<1.5 m2) who underwent HM 3 implantation to better understand the operative and postoperative management.
Methods: This study enrolled 64 consecutive patients who had undergone HM 3 implantation from August 2018 to July 2021. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on their BSA before the operation: BSA of <1.5 m2 (small BSA group, n = 18) and BSA of ≥1.5 m2 (regular BSA group, n = 46). The primary study endpoint was survival free of events such as disabling stroke and pump failure. The secondary endpoint was the frequency of adverse events.
Results: The average BSA was 1.38 m2 in the small BSA group. The overall event-free survival rate at 12 months was 100% and 86.7% in the small BSA group and regular BSA group, respectively, and no significant difference was found between the 2 groups (log-rank P = 0.2). The number of cumulative adverse events of death, stroke of any severity, driveline infection, pump infection, ventricular arrhythmia, gastrointestinal Haemorrhage and pump failure was similar between the 2 groups.
Conclusions: The HM 3 was safely implanted in patients with a small BSA, and postoperative outcomes were acceptable regardless of BSA. However, further research is needed to confirm the indications for HM 3 implantation in even smaller patients.
Keywords: Body surface area; HeartMate 3; Small patients; Ventricular assist device.
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.