Abstract 6947: Impact of Severe Anemia on Clinical Outcomes Following Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Introduction: Patients with concomitant anemia and congestive heart failure have worse outcomes. The prevalence and clinical risk of significant anemia in patients receiving durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) remain unknown. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent LVAD implantation between 2014 and 2018. The association between hemoglobin level at the time of index discharge and the one-year composite endpoint of heart failure readmissions or hemocompatibility-related adverse events was investigated. Results: A total of 167 patients (57 [48, 66] years old, 123 males) were included and stratified into a classification of severe anemia (hemoglobin <9.7 g/dL, N = 99) or non-severe anemia (N = 68). The severe anemia group had a higher one-year incidence of the composite endpoint (56% versus 36%, p = 0.013) with a hazard ratio of 1.71 (95% confidence interval 1.07-2.75) after multivariate adjustment (Figure 1). Patients with severe anemia also experienced suboptimal LVAD unloading. Conclusions: Severe anemia was prevalent in LVAD patients and associated with a greater risk of heart failure and hemocompatibility-related adverse events. The optimal threshold for therapeutic intervention in response to anemia post-LVAD needs further investigation.