Pulmonary artery banding to treat end-stage heart failure in infants and young children: A multicenter study

Conventional treatment options for end-stage heart failure (ESHF) in children include heart transplantation (HT) and ventricular assist devices (VADs), both with significant drawbacks in the pediatric population. Pulmonary artery banding (PAB) has been effectively used as bridge to transplant or recovery in pediatric ESHF. We herein describe the early and mid-term clinical outcomes from a multicenter international experience. This is a multicenter retrospective study including children admitted for ESHF caused by dilated cardiomyopathy and treated with PAB. The primary outcome was the freedom from death/VAD/HT. Thirty-one patients (median age 210 days [131-357]) with ESHF underwent PAB in 5 centers. Pediatric Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (PEDIMACS) score was I to III in 90%; 15 patients were intubated preoperatively. Preoperative left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction was