Does Patients with Higher Education Have Better Postoperative Results After LVAD Implantation?

Abstract

<h3>Purpose</h3> Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) implantation have increase throughout the years due to the inability to keep up with the heart transplant demand. However, scarceness of data exists regarding the association of degree of education with outcomes after LVAD implantation. <h3>Methods</h3> We evaluated patients that underwent an LVAD implantation between January 2018 to December 2020. Patients were divided into two groups based on their level of education. Patients who had less than 12 years of education (group I) and patients who had more than 12 years of education (group II). Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. A significance level of 0.05 was used. <h3>Results</h3> 135 patients were included in the study. Eighty-three patients (60%) were included in group I and 52 (40%) were included in group II. Mean age for group I and II were 52 (12) and 53 (12) years (<i>p</i>=0.907). No statistical difference was found in preoperative variables such as: Diabetes Mellitus (<i>p</i>=0.6.95) atrial fibrillation (<i>p</i>=0.906), stroke (<i>p</i>=0.751) and hypertension (<i>p</i>=0.654). More patients from group I had a postoperative arrhythmia (31% vs. 15%) (<i>p</i>=0.071). The outcomes for group II were better, they had a lower mortality (15% vs 7.7%) and more patients were bridged to a heart transplant (23% vs. 6%) (<i>p</i>=0.009). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Despite both groups having similar demographic and postoperative variables, group II had substantially higher rates of heart transplantation. Higher education may be a variable that is associated with improved survival after LVAD implantation and a higher chance for heart transplantation.