In most of the published (uncontrolled) studies, survival after transplantation is similar for patients who required mechanical circulatory assistance and those who did not. Two controlled studies have reported a better survival rate in patients who had preoperative circulatory assistance.
Infections are more frequent in transplanted patients who had a period of circulatory assistance preoperatively than in those who were transplanted after medical treatment. The effect of circulatory assistance on heart graft rejection is debated. The same is true for coronary grafts.