Post-operative multi-organ dysfunction following heart transplantation and left ventricular assist device implantation: phenotypes, trajectories, and prognostic implications—a retrospective study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is a leading cause of mortality after heart transplantation (HTx) and left ventricular assist device (LVAD), yet its phenotypic heterogeneity remains poorly characterised. This study intends to identify and clinically validate distinct multi-organ dysfunction phenotypes following HTx and LVAD implantation, and to analyse their early prognosis using longitudinal biomarker trajectories and independent clinical adjudication. Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 68 consecutive adult patients who underwent HTx or LVAD implantation in the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Department of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, between January 2020 and June 2025. The Institutional Review Board of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology approved this with a waiver of informed consent. We collected demographic, preoperative, and operative data from medical records. Postoperative MODS was defined by Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) criteria as dysfunction with ≥2 organ systems. Patients were followed up for inpatient, 1-, and 2-year mortality. Results: 74.4%; log-rank P=0.005). Conclusions: With regard to post-cardiac surgery MODS, we report a novel trajectory-based approach that holds promise for improving early risk stratification and guiding targeted management by distinguishing high-severity multisystem from low-severity selective trajectories following HTx and LVAD implantation.
Source: Journal of Thoracic Disease
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223317681