Significance of anaemia in patients with advanced heart failure receiving long-term mechanical circulatory support

Aims The aim of this study was to analyse the prognostic impact of anaemia in patients receiving long-term left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. Methods and results We reviewed the data of 65 consecutive patients who underwent LVAD support for at least 6 months. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin levels 1.4 mg/dL (RR, 5.39; 95% CI, 1.78–16.30; P = 0.003), and albumin <1.5 g/L (RR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.10–9.51; P = 0.03) were associated with all-cause mortality at 15 months. Long-term survival evaluated by Kaplan–Meier analysis was two times higher in non-anaemic patients after 6 months of LVAD support than in anaemic patients (P = 0.01). Conclusion Anaemia is related to adverse outcomes in patients receiving prolonged LVAD support.