BackgroundInfections after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) cause significant morbidity and mortality. Concurrent with increased pre-OHT temporary mechanical support (MCS), there have been recent concerns of a perceived increase in infections post-OHT. We examined the association between pre-OHT temporary vs. durable MCS and post-OHT infection. MethodsWe performed a single-center retrospective review of patients who received OHT at Tufts Medical Center between January 2014 and April 2022. Information was collected on MCS device(s) in place during the admission in which the OHT occurred. Our composite outcome was the occurrence of bacteremia, invasive fungal infections, opportunistic infections, or skin/soft tissue infections of device sites within one-year post-OHT. We used Cox proportional hazards models to assess the relationship between type of pre-OHT MCS and time to first infection, treating death from other causes as a competing risk. We addressed confounding with two statistical methods: propensity score (PS) with inverse probability weighting (IPW) and an instrumental variable (IV) analysis. ResultsOf the 320 OHT recipients during the study period, 268 required MCS prior to OHT; 192 were managed with durable MCS and 76 with temporary MCS before transplant. Patients receiving pre-OHT temporary MCS had no difference in time to first infection (unadjusted HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.41-1.44), compared to durable MCS. Results were similar in the model employing PS with IPW (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.29- 1.27) and the IV analysis (HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.26-2.36). ConclusionPre-OHT temporary MCS was not associated with the composite outcome of bacteremia, invasive fungal infections, opportunistic infections, or skin/device site infections post-transplant compared to durable MCS in this single-center cohort.
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