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Background: Caregiver support is considered necessary after heart transplant (HT) and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for patients with end‐stage heart failure (HF). Few studies have demonstrated how caregivers differ by gender and race, and whether that impacts therapy eligibility. Methods: We examined caregiver relationships among 674 patients (32% women, 55% Black) evaluated at Emory University from 2011 to 2017. Therapy readiness was assessed using the Stanford Integrated Assessment for Transplant (SIPAT). Evaluation outcome according to caregiver relationship was compared using χ2 analysis. Multivariable logistic regression determined the association between caregiver and eligibility according to gender and race. Results: Women and Black patients were less likely to have spouses as their support person (P <.001). Women were less likely to be considered eligible for advanced therapies (adjusted odds ratio [aOR].64, 95% confidence interval [CI].46–.89; P =.008), with Black women having lower eligibility than White women (aOR.28, 95% CI.11–.72; P =.008). Social support and SIPAT scores did not significantly influence eligibility by gender or race. Conclusion: Lack of caregiver support is considered a relative contraindication to advanced therapies. Type of caregiver in our cohort varied according to race and gender but did not explain differences in eligibility for advanced therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We investigated sex‐based differences in eligibility for and outcomes after receipt of advanced heart failure (HF) therapies. Background: Although women are more likely to die from HF than men, registry data suggest that women are less likely to receive heart transplant (HT) or left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for largely unknown reasons. Methods: We performed a single‐center retrospective cohort study of patients evaluated for advanced HF therapies from 2012 to 2016. Logistic regression was used to determine the association of sex with eligibility for HT/LVAD. Competing risks and Kaplan‐Meier analysis were used to examine survival. Results: Of 569 patients (31% women) evaluated, 223 (39.2%) were listed for HT and 81 (14.2%) received destination (DT) LVAD. Women were less likely to be listed for HT (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21‐0.61; P <.0001), based on allosensitization (P <.0001) and obesity (P =.02). Women were more likely to receive DT LVAD (adjusted OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.23‐4.29; P =.01). Survival was similar between men and women regardless of whether they received HT and DT LVAD or were ineligible for therapy. Conclusion: Women are less likely to be HT candidates, but more likely to receive DT LVAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]