Heart Transplant Outcomes in Patients After Biventricular BerlinHeart EXCOR Device Support

Abstract The Berlin Heart EXCOR has been utilized as a bridge to transplant (BTT) in adult patients with end-stage heart failure. The aim of this short communication is to present our experience with post-transplant complications and outcomes in patients supported by the Berlin Heart EXCOR system. From January 2022 to December 2024, six patients with end-stage biventricular heart failure underwent implantation of the Berlin Heart EXCOR as a BTT. Three patients died while on support, and three patients successfully underwent transplantation. The median time to heart transplantation was 210 days (range: 74–600 days). One patient is alive and doing well 54 months after heart transplantation. However, the other two patients died on postoperative days 16 and 133 due to intestinal ischemia and infection ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia and sepsis), respectively. In conclusion, although the results of our study are not very encouraging, they reflect outcomes in a critically ill group of patients with limited treatment options.