Abstract
Background: Patients with end-stage heart failure-related cardiogenic shock (HF-CS) are conclusively associated with a poor health-related quality of life (HRQL). Axillary mechanical circulatory support (aMCS), such as the Impella 5.5, is increasingly used in this population and may improve HRQL during hospitalization by providing enhanced left ventricular unloading. We aimed to assess changes in HRQL between admission and two weeks after Impella 5.5 placement in patients with HF-CS, using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). Methods: We conducted a prospective longitudinal analysis on patients with the Impella 5.5 between May 2023 and July 2023. Participants completed the condensed KCCQ-12 at admission and again two weeks post-implantation. Changes in the scores were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Fifteen patients were enrolled. The median age was 59 years (50-63), and the median ejection fraction at implantation was 20% (15-30). On admission, most patients reported an overall HRQL of poor-to-fair (46.7%) according to the summary KCCQ-12 score. The median overall summary score increased significantly after Impella 5.5 support (50.52 vs. 28.13, p = 0.005). Symptom frequency (70.83 vs. 43.75, p = 0.009) and quality-of-life (50.00 vs. 12.50, p = 0.023) domains improved significantly, while physical limitation showed a positive trend and social limitation remained unchanged. These HRQL improvements occurred alongside a significant shift toward lower SCAI shock stages, marked increases in cardiac output and cardiac index, and no escalation in vasoactive-inotropic requirements. Conclusions: Impella 5.5 support in HF-CS patients was associated with early and clinically meaningful improvements in HRQL, particularly in symptom frequency and quality of life, during the critical pre-transplant or recovery period. These findings suggest that the Impella 5.5 may provide both physiological and patient-perceived benefits in this high-risk population.