Carbon Monoxide Attenuates Hyperacute Dysfunction and Microangiopathy in GalT-KO Pulmonary Xenotransplantation

s S271 Results: Cardiac muscle TL was significantly shorter in males than females at baseline (8.75 ± .20 vs 10.27 ± .32 kb, P= 0.01). Leukocyte TL, analyzed every 3 months following LVAD implant, increased at 12 months (0.90 ± 0.10 vs 1.12 ± 0.07, P= 0.09) whereas cardiac muscle TL remained unchanged from LVAD implant to LVAD removal (9.39 ± .25 vs 9.36 ± .24 kb, P= 0.851). Left atrial dimension, left ventricular end-systolic and diastolic dimensions, and left ventricular mass significantly decreased during LVAD therapy. Leukocyte TLs correlated with interventricular septum thickness at baseline (r= -0.584, P = 0.028) whereas, cardiac muscle TL correlated with left ventricular mass at baseline (r= -0.425, P= 0.043) and at LVAD explant (r= -0.592, P= 0.026). In one patient, ejection fraction and fractional shortening normalized, left ventricular mass decreased by 31% and leukocyte and cardiac muscle TLs markedly increased. Conclusion: LVAD therapy for AHF patients may lead to telomere lengthening, suggesting reversible molecular aging characteristics. As longer telomeres are associated with longevity, the mechanisms that produce this telomere lengthening warrant further study, as does the association with myocardial recovery and patient prognosis.