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Impact of Atrial Fibrillation on In-Hospital Mortality and Thromboembolic Complications after Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

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Abstract

The association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and thromboembolic (TE) complications in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients is controversial, and there is paucity of large-scale data evaluating the impact of AF on early outcomes after device implantation. Using the National Inpatient Sample, we identified hospitalizations where patients underwent LVAD implantation from 2010 to 2015. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of AF on in-hospital outcomes. A total of 18,378 patients (41.7% with AF) underwent LVAD implantation. Patients with AF were older (59.9 vs. 54.0 years, p < 0.001), more commonly male (79.9 vs. 74.1%, p < 0.001), and had a greater burden of comorbidities as measured by the Elixhauser comorbidity index (7.2 vs. 6.3, p < 0.001). Patients with AF had less incidence of ischemic stroke (3.1 vs. 4.7%, p = 0.04, OR 0.68), hemorrhagic stroke (1.0 vs. 2.4%, p = 0.006, OR 0.43), and other systemic embolism (1.8 vs. 3.7%, p = 0.01, OR 0.55). There was no significant difference in the incidence of bleeding requiring transfusion between AF and no AF cohorts (29.3 vs. 24.2%, p = 0.09, OR 1.15). LOS was shorter in patients with AF (32.9 vs. 36.7 mean days, p < 0.001). Patients with AF had lower in-hospital mortality (8.9 vs. 14.9%, p < 0.001, OR 0.48). In a large real-world US cohort of patients undergoing LVAD implantation, a diagnosis of AF was common among device recipients. After adjustment for demographics and comorbidities, AF was associated with reduced TE events and in-hospital mortality.

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Abbreviations

AF:

Atrial fibrillation

HF:

Heart failure

TE:

Thromboembolic

LVAD:

Left ventricular assist device

NIS:

National Inpatient Sample

LOS:

Length of hospital stay

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiology, Duke University Hospital, 2301 Erwin Road, Room 7411A DN, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Vanessa Blumer, Stephen J. Greene & Marat Fudim

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Miguel Ortiz Bezara

  3. Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Veraprapas Kittipibul

  4. Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA

    Stephen J. Greene & Marat Fudim

  5. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Gabriel A. Hernandez & Sandra Chaparro

  6. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Emer Joyce

Authors
  1. Vanessa Blumer
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  2. Miguel Ortiz Bezara
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  3. Veraprapas Kittipibul
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  4. Stephen J. Greene
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  5. Marat Fudim
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  6. Gabriel A. Hernandez
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  8. Emer Joyce
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Correspondence to Vanessa Blumer.

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Associate Editor Navin Kumar Kapur oversaw the review of this article

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Blumer, V., Ortiz Bezara, M., Kittipibul, V. et al. Impact of Atrial Fibrillation on In-Hospital Mortality and Thromboembolic Complications after Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation. J. of Cardiovasc. Trans. Res. 14, 120–124 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12265-020-09968-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12265-020-09968-5

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