Malnutrition has been associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in patients who undergo cardiac surgery. However, many measurements of malnutrition have been inadequate prognostic markers. In this study, we sought to determine whether low preoperative serum prealbumin level was associated with morbidity and mortality in patients who underwent continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation. From November 2003 to March 2016, 526 patients with chronic heart failure underwent implantation of a CF-LVAD (HeartMate II, n = 403; HeartWare HVAD, n = 123). Our cohort comprised the 317 CF-LVAD recipients whose records included the preoperative serum prealbumin level. These patients were divided into 2 groups: those with a normal preoperative serum prealbumin level (>17 g/dL) and those with hypoprealbuminemia (≤17 g/dL). These groups were then compared with regard to preoperative demographics, incidence of postoperative complications, long-term survival rate, and cause of death. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with a low preoperative prealbumin level had significantly decreased survival rates at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months (p <0.001) after CF-LVAD implantation and higher overall mortality (p = 0.04) than the patients with a normal prealbumin level, and that exacerbated heart failure made up the majority of this difference within the first 6 months. However, we found no significant correlations between low prealbumin level and postoperative complications. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that preoperative serum prealbumin levels predict patient outcomes after CF-LVAD implantation.
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