Summary
Pediatric VAD infection is a recognized risk as ventricular assist devices are used more often to bridge children to heart transplantation, but its scale in current practice has not been well described.
Researchers reviewed 1,527 children in the ACTION registry supported by a left or single ventricular assist device between April 2018 and April 2025. Patients were grouped by device type: 442 had an implanted device and 1,085 had an external one, the latter divided between durable and temporary cannulas.
A total of 152 children, about one in ten, developed a device-associated infection, and one-year survival was no different for those who did. More infections occurred among children on external devices in absolute terms, but the rate was proportionately higher for implanted devices at 13.1%, compared with 9.3% for durable external cannulas and 3.3% for temporary ones. Infections also appeared later on implanted devices, at a median of 143 days versus 52.5 days. Severe obesity was more common among children who developed an infection, 17.2% versus 7.8%.
The authors suggest the higher rate on implanted devices likely reflects longer time on support, and that advances in driveline management could reduce morbidity for children needing long-term support.
This ACTION study was published on September 15, 2026 in the Artificial Organs. Congratulations to the authors:
- Madeleine Townsend
- Neha Bansal
- Elizabeth Kalb
- Charles Bergstrom
- Christopher Knoll
- Gabrielle Vaughn
- Megan Wilde
- Bethany Wisotzkey
- Alicia M. Kamsheh
- Shahnawaz Amdani
- Rashmita Naorem
- Muhammad Shezad
- Jennifer Conway
CITATION
, , , et al., Prevalence and Risk Factors for Ventricular Assist Device-Associated Infection in Children: An Analysis ACTION Study, Artificial Organs (2026): 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1111/aor.70241.
