Outcomes and Risk Factors for Postoperative Vasoplegia Following Implant of Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Refractory postoperative vasoplegia following cardiac surgery and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation predicts poor outcomes. We aimed to investigate outcomes and predictors of postoperative vasoplegia. We retrospectively reviewed a single-center cohort of 190 patients who received LVADs from January 2015 through March 2022 at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Primary outcomes included duration of ICU stay, development of right heart failure (RHF), and mortality. Secondary outcomes included pre-implant medications and post-implant blood products. Vasoplegia was defined as physician documentation of vasoplegia with patients requiring [≥]1 intravenous vasopressors within 48-hours following LVAD implantation to maintain a mean arterial pressure >65 mmHg for >24 hours. Overall, 55 (29%) patients developed vasoplegia following LVAD implantation. Our sample was stratified into two cohorts: patients with vasoplegia and without vasoplegia. Baseline characteristics, LVAD indication, creatinine clearance, and comorbidities did not vary significantly between cohorts. Patients without vasoplegia were more likely to have prior implantable cardiac defibrillators (p = 0.02) and were more commonly prescribed pre-operative inotropes (p = 0.03). Blood-product administration within the first 48-hours postoperatively did not differ. While patients with vasoplegia required a longer ICU stay post-op (5 vs 7 days, p = 0.03), there were no significant differences in development of RHF (39% vs 44%), 30-day (7% vs 13%), 1-year (31% vs 29%), and 2-year mortality (39% vs 33%) in patients without and with vasoplegia, respectively. Overall, our vasoplegia rates were consistent with previous literature (29%) and vasoplegia did not confer inferior outcomes for mortality or developing RHF.