Loading
Transplantation: Methods and Outcomes · Journal article
BMC Infectious Diseases · August 17, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This retrospective cohort of 50 LVAD patients identified clinical associations between persistent driveline drainage, fever, and S. aureus isolation with deep-seated infection risk, but the study is observational, unadjusted, and single-centre with no control comparison. The findings are hypothesis-generating and require prospective validation before clinical implementation.
Retrospective cohort study. Adult patients who underwent LVAD implantation between 2019 and 2025; 50 patients included with median follow-up 392.5 days (IQR 33.5–1335).. Intervention: LVAD implantation. n = 50.
Driveline infections were the most common MCS-specific infection presentation (n=17, 34% of 50 patients) S. aureus was strongly associated with deep-seated infection (90% vs. 42%, p=0.019) Fever was observed more commonly in deep-seated infection patients (p=0.016)
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
These findings identify potential clinical markers (persistent driveline drainage, fever, S. aureus) that may warrant closer surveillance and earlier imaging in LVAD patients, but require prospective confirmation before changing practice. The lack of independent association between MCS infections and mortality in this cohort is reassuring but needs validation in larger populations.
Single-centre retrospective cohort study with modest sample size (50 patients, 21 with infections) identifying clinical associations with deep-seated LVAD infection but lacking prospective validation, control group, or adjustment for confounders.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
These findings identify potential clinical markers (persistent driveline drainage, fever, S. aureus) that may warrant closer surveillance and earlier imaging in LVAD patients, but require prospective confirmation before changing practice. The lack of independent association between MCS infections and mortality in this cohort is reassuring but needs validation in larger populations.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
The global shortage of donor hearts has led to a growing population of patients supported with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). Although LVAD implantation improves survival in advanced heart failure, infectious complications continue to contribute substantially to morbidity during long-term follow-up. Typically beginning as superficial driveline infections, these may progress to deep-seated and difficult-to-treat infections, often resulting in chronic disease. This study aimed to characterize mechanical circulatory support specific infections (MCS-s), evaluate their clinical impact particularly on mortality, and explore predictors of deep-seated infection. We conducted a retrospective cohort study including adult patients who underwent LVAD implantation between 2019 and 2025. Clinical, microbiological, and outcome data were collected from medical records, and descriptive statistics were performed. Infections were classified according to the 2024 ISHLT criteria. The primary objective was to explore predictors of deep-seated infections among patients with MCS-s infections. Fifty patients were included with a follow-up of median (IQR) 392.5 days (33.5–1335). A total of 72 infection episodes were recorded, of which 57 were MCS-s infections occurring in 21 patients (42%). Driveline infections were the most common presentation ( n = 17, 34%). Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant pathogen and was strongly associated with deep-seated infection (90% vs. 42%, p = 0.019). Fever was also prominent symptom observed more commonly in patients with deep-seated infections ( p = 0.016). Persistent driveline drainage also emerged as a significant predictor and was associated with increased risk of readmission following antibiotic therapy. The Kaplan–Meier estimated 1-year survival after LVAD implantation was 66.3%. While MCS-s infections were frequent and clinically burdensome, they were not independently associated with mortality in this cohort. Our findings suggest that persistent drainage despite antimicrobial therapy, the presence of fever, and S. aureus isolation may identify a subgroup of patients at increased risk for progression from uncomplicated driveline infection to deep-seated infection. In such patients, early utilization of imaging modalities may facilitate timely diagnosis, improve source control strategies, and potentially prevent further infectious complications.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.