Analysis of UNOS: Ventricular Assist Device as Bridge-to-Transplant in Paediatric Patients With Congenital Heart Disease

This study analyzed 3,394 pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) patients listed for heart transplant from 2014 to 2023. Of these, 16.5 percent received ventricular assist device (VAD) support while waitlisted. Waitlist mortality was higher in the VAD group (25.7 percent vs 16.2 percent). Among 2,248 transplanted patients, VAD-supported cases showed similar post-transplant events and five-year survival compared to non-VAD patients. VAD use increased from 20 to 73 cases annually. It was concluded that pediatric CHD patients bridged-to-transplant with VAD achieve comparable long-term survival to those without VAD.