Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect on weight loss of the newer generation continuous flow HeartMate II™ left ventricular assist device (VAD) in obese heart failure (HF) patients.
Material/methods: We retrospectively reviewed 3-year surgical data from a large heart transplant facility and identified obese patients with advanced heart failure who underwent successful implantation of either the HeartMate XVE(®) or the HeartMate II(®) VAD. For each patient weight and BMI at time of VAD implantation and at 6 months post-operatively were documented. Between group comparison was achieved with Student's T tests.
Results: We identified 14 patients who had received the HeartMate XVE™ and 8 who had received the HeartMate II™. At 6 months, patients who received a HeartMate XVE™ demonstrated a significant reduction in mean body weight (249.6 ± 35.4lbs vs. 217.4 ± 20.5 lbs; P<0.05), while patients who received the HeartMate II™ demonstrated no significant change in weight (234.5 ± 41.7 lbs vs. 234.7 ± 43.0lbs; P=0.3).
Conclusions: The HeartMate XVE™ results in significant reductions in weight at 6 months in obese patients with heart failure while the HeartMate II does not. Further research is necessary to better understand the effects of VADs on weight loss in obese HF patients.