Outcomes of ECMO versus VAD in Children with Congenital Heart Disease as a Bridge to Transplant in Recent Era: Analysis from United Network for Organ Sharing Database

Purpose To compare the clinical characteristics, risk factors, and overall survival (waitlist and post-transplant) outcomes in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) bridged to transplantation with either a VAD vs. ECMO vs. no-mechanical circulatory support (MCS). Methods The study included 2899 primary heart transplantations in children Results Of all, 466(16%) had ECMO and 200(7%) VAD at the time of listing or while listed (Figure-1 A-B). There was an increasing VAD utilization trend during the last decade over ECMO (p Conclusion Waiting list survival of children with CHD supported by durable VAD is better compared to ECMO support. The long-term posttransplantation outcomes of CHD patients supported by VAD is similar to non-MCS patients and better than ECMO supported patients. The transition from ECMO to VAD while listed results in similar outcomes to VAD-first, so every effort should be made to select CHD patients eligible for VAD as a bridge to transplantation.