Impact of the angle between aortic and mitral annulus on the occurrence of hemolysis during Impella support

In this study, we investigated the pre-procedural factors, including the echocardiographic narrow angle between aortic and mitral annulus, associating with the occurrence of refractory hemolysis following Impella insertion. We enrolled 26 patients (71  years, 65% male) who received Impella insertion between March 2018 and November 2019. Among baseline characteristics, the angle between aortic and mitral annulus, <  126.5°, was an independent risk factor of refractory hemolysis with an adjusted hazard ratio of 7.840 (95% confidence interval 0.925–66.44) and was associated with lower 30-day survival (64% vs. 100%,p = 0.0116). The narrow angle between aortic and mitral annulus might be a useful tool to risk-stratify the occurrence of refractory hemolysis following Impella insertion.
Source: Journal of Artificial Organs - Category: Transplant Surgery Source Type: research