LVAD patients more active than counterparts with heart failure
Australian researchers say it is increasingly becoming a 'destination therapy'
Patients with left ventricular assist devices are more physically active than matched patients with advanced chronic heart failure, Australian researchers report.
Perth researchers compared 16 patients with LVADs to 16 patients with advanced heart failure on a heart transplant list, matched by age (mean 58.7 years), sex and pre-LVAD New York Heart Association functional class.
The devices are increasingly being used as “destination therapy” for advanced heart failure patients, and not as a bridge to eventual cardiac transplant, the authors note.
While the devices are known to improve survival and also increase exercise tolerance, it was unclear whether they increased daily physical activity, the authors said.
