IMR Press / RCM / Volume 24 / Issue 11 / DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2411313
Open Access Original Research
Pectus Excavatum and Risk of Right Ventricular Failure in Left Ventricular Assist Device Patients
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1 Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2 Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
3 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
4 Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
*Correspondence: dr.kcaliskan@hotmail.com (Kadir Caliskan)
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2023, 24(11), 313; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2411313
Submitted: 22 November 2022 | Revised: 9 May 2023 | Accepted: 15 May 2023 | Published: 9 November 2023
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: Right ventricular failure (RVF) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). This study is aimed to investigate the influence of a pectus excavatum on early and late outcomes, specifically RVF, following LVAD implantation. Methods: A retrospective study was performed, that included patients with a HeartMate 3 LVAD at our tertiary referral center. The Haller index (HI) was calculated using computed tomography (CT) scan to evaluate the chest-wall dimensions. Results: In total, 80 patients (median age 57 years) were included. Two cohorts were identified: 28 patients (35%) with a normal chest wall (HI <2.0) and 52 patients (65%) with pectus excavatum (HI 2.0–3.2), with a mean follow-up time of 28 months. Early (30 days) RVF and early acute kidney injury events did not differ between cohorts. Overall survival did not differ between cohorts with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.47 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.19–1.19, p = 0.113). Late (>30 days) recurrent readmission for RVF occurred more often in patients with pectus excavatum (p = 0.008). The onset of late RVF started around 18 months after implantation and increased thereafter in the overall study cohort. Conclusions: Pectus excavatum is observed frequently in patients with a LVAD implantation. These patients have an increased rate of readmissions and late RVF. Further investigation is required to explore the extent and severity of chest-wall abnormalities on the risk of RVF.

Keywords
chest-wall abnormalities
pectus excavatum
right ventricle failure
left ventricular assist device
readmission
Figures
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