Modern Outcomes of Mechanical Circulatory Support as a Bridge to Pediatric Heart Transplantation

Background Pediatric patients awaiting orthotopic heart transplantation frequently require bridge to transplantation (BTT) with mechanical circulatory support. Posttransplant survival outcomes and predictors of mortality have not been thoroughly described in the modern era using a large-scale analysis. Methods The United Network for Organ Sharing database was reviewed to identify pediatric heart transplant recipients from 2005 through 2012. Patients were stratified into three groups: extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), ventricular assist device (VAD), and direct transplantation (DTXP). The primary outcome was posttransplant survival. Results Two thousand seven hundred seventy-seven pediatric patients underwent orthotopic heart transplantation. There were 617 patients who required BTT with mechanical circulatory support (22.2%), of whom there were 428 VAD BTT (69.4%) and 189 ECMO BTT (30.6%). An increase in VAD use was observed during the study period ( p < 0.0001). Compared with DTXP, patients in the ECMO BTT group had a lower median age (