Is pectoralis muscle index a risk factor for mortality in left ventricular assist device patients?

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate whether sarcopenia measured from pectoralis muscles is a risk factor for long-term mortality in left ventricular assist device patients.

METHODS

Patients aged >18 years implanted with a left ventricular assist device in a single center between 2013 and 2019 were retrospectively included. Patients without a thoracic computed tomography scan performed within 3 months of left ventricular assist device implantation and without computed tomography scans appropriate for pectoralis muscle measurement were excluded. Pectoralis muscle measurements were made on thoracic computed tomography slices, and pectoralis muscle indices were calculated for each patient. Sarcopenia was defined as being in the gender-specific lowest tertile of pectoralis muscle index. Survival was compared between patients with and without sarcopenia.

RESULTS

The study was conducted on 64 left ventricular assist device patients who met the inclusion criteria. Notably, 21 (32.8%) of the study patients were sarcopenic. Diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia were more common in patients with 2-year mortality in our cohort. Patients with sarcopenia had a worse 2-year survival (p<0.001). Sarcopenia had an adjusted hazard ratio of 4.04 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36-12.02, p=0.012), while diabetes mellitus was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of 3.14 (95%CI 1.17-8.39, p=0.023).

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia defined by low pectoralis muscle index increases the risk for 2-year mortality in left ventricular assist device patients.

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate as a Predictor of Restenosis After Carotid Stenting Using First-Generation Stents

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Multipolar Left Ventricular Lead Implantation in a Unique Coronary Sinus: Direct Drainage of the Posterior Vein into the Right Atrium

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[Endovascular repair for an acute traumatic aortic transection: a case report]

A thirty-eight-year-old male patient who suffered from 10th and 11th thoracal vertebrae fractures, paraplegia and acute traumatic aortic transection because of accidental fall was referred to our hospital. Open surgical repair carried a very high risk due to severe coexisting injuries. Transection was treated with 30x100 mm Valiant thoracic endograft, which was deployed just distal to the ostium of the left carotid artery. The patient was transferred to the neurosurgery clinic for treatment of paraplegia after an uneventful recovery. Endovascular repair of acute transection confers substantial advantages in mortality and morbidity compared to surgical repair. However, the long-term durability of thoracic endografts remains unknown. If the long-term results are as satisfactory as the promising mid-term results, this technique may become the gold standard approach for the treatment of acute transection.