Cardiac Cachexia in Left Ventricular Assist Device Recipients and the Implications of Weight Gain Early After Implantation

BACKGROUND: Severe cardiac cachexia or malnutrition are commonly considered relative contraindications to left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, but post‐LVAD prognosis for patients with cachexia is uncertain. METHODS AND RESULTS: Intermacs (Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support) 2006 to 2017 was queried for the preimplantation variable cachexia/malnutrition. Cox proportional hazards modeling examined the relationship between cachexia and LVAD outcomes. Of 20 332 primary LVAD recipients with available data, 516 (2.54%) were reported to have baseline cachexia and had higher risk baseline characteristics. Cachexia was associated with higher mortality during LVAD support (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.36 [95% CI, 1.18–1.56]; P<0.0001), persisting after adjustment for baseline characteristics (adjusted HR, 1.23 [95% CI, 1.0–1.42]; P=0.005). Mean weight change at 12 months was +3.9±9.4 kg. Across the cohort, weight gain ≥5% during the first 3 months of LVAD support was associated with lower mortality (unadjusted HR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.84–0.98]; P=0.012; adjusted HR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.82–0.97]; P=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of LVAD recipients recognized to have cachexia preimplantation was low at 2.5%. Recognized cachexia was independently associated with higher mortality during LVAD support. Early weight gain ≥5% was independently associated with lower mortality during subsequent LVAD support.