Comparison of Percutaneous and Surgical Right Ventricular Assist Device Support After Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device Insertion

ABSTRACT Background Early right ventricular (RV) failure after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation increases morbidity and mortality. Percutaneous right ventricular assist device (pRVAD) support is an alternative to more invasive surgical RVAD (sRVAD). Methods and Results We retrospectively reviewed patients receiving isolated pRVAD or sRVAD after durable LVAD at our center in the years 2007–2018. Hemodynamic parameters before and after implantation and survival outcomes were compared among groups. Nineteen patients received pRVAD and 21 sRVAD. Hemodynamic parameters improved immediately with the use of pRVAD; central venous pressure decreased (from 15.9 ± 2.4 to 12.3 ± 3.2 mm Hg; P −1 ·m − 2 ; P P  = .01); 43.5 (30–66) versus 91 (62–111) hospital days ( P  = .03). There was no significant difference in 30-day mortality with the use of pRVAD compared with sRVAD (21.1% vs 42.9%; P  = .14), but there was a trend toward a higher rate of discharge free from hemodialysis (73.7% vs 47.6%; P  = .09). Conclusions Novel pRVAD systems for RV failure provide hemodynamic benefits similar to sRVAD, are associated with less morbidity, and should be considered as an alternative to sRVAD.