Impact of Hemocompatibility on Emergency Resource Utilization in Ventricular Assist Device Patients

This is the largest study to date investigating resource utilization and outcomes among ambulatory VAD patients presenting to the ED with a bleeding event. A bleeding event was the primary diagnosis for 1 in 4 ED encounters, representing the second most common primary diagnosis in this population. Bleeding events were associated with older age, frequent procedures, trend towards higher charges, and-when requiring a blood transfusion-higher mortality.