[Application of left ventricular assist device in the treatment of end-stage heart failure:a multi-center report of 48 cases].

<b>Objective:</b> To evaluate the clinical efficacy of left ventricular assist device(LVAD) in the treatment of end-stage heart failure. <b>Methods:</b> This is a retrospective case series study. Data were retrospectively analyzed from 48 patients treated at eight domestic cardiac surgery centers in China between March 2022 and September 2024, who underwent LVAD implantation due to end-stage heart failure. All surgeries were led by the cardiovascular surgery team from Nanjing First Hospital. The study included 42 male and 6 female patients, aged (59.1±12.3) years (range:28 to 73 years). All patients had a preoperative New York Heart Association(NYHA) functional class of Ⅳ. General preoperative data, intraoperative extracorporeal circulation time, cross-clamp time, postoperative ICU stay, hospital stay, pump parameters at discharge, intraoperative and postoperative left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, left ventricular ejection fraction, and follow-up results post-discharge were collected. The generalized estimation equation was used to compare the difference of cardiac function indexes in patients with different follow-up time points. The Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference test was used for pairwise comparison within the group. <b>Results:</b> The surgery was successfully completed for 47 patients, and 1 perioperative death. The extracorporeal circulation time was (122.4±21.6) minutes (range: 101 to 200 minutes), the cross-clamp time was (70.1±18.3) minutes (range: 101 to 200 minutes), the postoperative ICU length of stay was (6.9±3.2) days (range: 2 to 23 days), and the hospital length of stay was (28.1±4.2) days (range: 23 to 42 days). At discharge, the blood bump flow rate was (3.4±0.6) L/min(range: 3.1 to 3.6 L/min), and speed was (2 791.3±142.0) r/min(range: 2 680 to 3 250 r/min). The follow-up period was (12.2±0.78) months (range:2 to 24 months) of 47 patients. One case underwent heart transplantation during the follow-up period, and 3 cases died, with no major device malfunction events. Three months post-surgery, the patients showed a significant reduction in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter compared to pre-surgery ((69.1±8.3) mm <i>vs.</i> (77.3±8.3) mm, <i>q</i>=6.73, <i>P</i><0.01); the left ventricular ejection fraction significantly increased ((29.6±8.0)% <i>vs.</i> (23.2±5.8)%, <i>q</i>=6.49, <i>P</i><0.01); and the 6-minute walk distance significantly improved ((382.0±12.8)metres <i>vs.</i> (114.8±18.4)metres, <i>q</i>=116.56, <i>P</i><0.01). Six months postoperatively, all patients' cardiac function had recovered to NYHA class Ⅰor Ⅱ. <b>Conclusions:</b> Preliminary research findings indicate that left ventricular assist device therapy yields favorable outcomes in the treatment of end-stage heart failure. serving as a bridge to transplantation, recovery, or a destination therapy.