SIPAT Scores Do Not Correlate with Outcomes in Patients with Ventricular Assist Devices

Abstract

Purpose The psychosocial evaluation is of paramount importance when evaluating a patient's ability to be successful with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy. Current guidelines recommend a “detailed psychosocial evaluation” but do not give any recommendations regarding the use of a specific clinical tool. The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplant (SIPAT) has been shown to predict both the psychosocial and medical outcomes in patients post-transplant; however, studies examining its utility in LVAD patients are limited. Methods We performed a single center, retrospective analysis, of 82 consecutive patients who underwent LVAD implantation from May 2017 to September 2018. Patients were classified into two groups based on a validated SIPAT cutoff score of Results Of the 82 patients, 46 (56%) had a score Conclusion Unlike cardiac transplant, the SIPAT score was not predictive of medical outcomes in patients undergoing LVAD therapy. A patient's underlying biologic effects may influence outcomes more than their psychosocial aspects. Prospective studies should be considered to further explore the validity of the SIPAT score in patients undergoing LVAD implantation.