Trends in the use and outcomes of ventricular assist devices among medicare beneficiaries, 2006 through 2011.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

This study sought to examine trends in mortality, readmission, and costs among Medicare beneficiaries receiving ventricular assist devices (VADs) and associations between hospital-level procedure volume and outcomes.

Background

VADs are an option for patients with advanced heart failure, but temporal changes in outcomes and associations between facility-level volume and outcomes are poorly understood.

Methods

This is a population-based, retrospective cohort study of all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure who received an implantable VAD between 2006 and 2011. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine temporal changes in mortality, readmission, and hospital-level procedure volume.

Results

Among 2,507 patients who receive

SUBMITTER: Khazanie P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4203698 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature