Abstract 194: Pre-Operative Health Status is Only Weakly Associated With Mortality or Hospitalization Following Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Background: Health status predicts death and hospitalization in heart failure and cardiac surgery, but its prognostic value in the setting of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement is unknown. We hypothesized that baseline health status could help identify patients at risk for adverse post-operative outcomes and improve patient selection for LVAD therapy. Methods: We examined the association of pre-operative health status, as measured by the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) overall summary score (OSS), with overall mortality and hospitalization in 965 patients undergoing LVAD placement as part of two clinical trials of the HeartMate II device. Unadjusted statistical analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazard models and Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric tests. Results: Baseline OSS of survivors (median: 25.5, inter quartile range (IQR): 15.6-38.6) was similar to those who died (median: 23.4, IQR 12.9-39.2, p=0.06). Patients in the lowest quartile of KCCQ scores (OSS Conclusion: Only patients with very low baseline health status (KCCQ