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ABSTRACT: Background
Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common complication of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy accounting for frequent hospitalizations and high resource utilization.Methods
We previously developed an endoscopic algorithm emphasizing upfront evaluation of the small bowel and minimizing low-yield procedures in LVAD recipients with GIB. We compared the diagnostic and therapeutic yield of endoscopy, health-care costs, and re-bleeding rates between conventional GIB management and our algorithm using chi-square, Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, and Kaplan-Meier analysis.Results
We identified 33 LVAD patients with GIB. Presentation was consistent with upper GIB in 20 (61%), lower GIB in 5 (15%), and occult GIB in 8 (24%) patients. Forty-one endoscopies localized a source in 23 (56%), resulting in 14 (34%) interventions. Algorithm implementation compared with our conventional cohort was associated with a 68% increase in endoscopic diagnostic yield (P< .01), a 113% increase in therapeutic yield (P= .01), a 27% reduction in the number of procedures per patient (P < .01), a 33% decrease in length of stay (P < .01), and an 18% reduction in estimated costs (P < .01). The same median number of red blood cell transfusions were used in the 2 cohorts, with no increase in re-bleeding events in the algorithm cohort (33.3%) compared with our conventional cohort (43.7%).Conclusions
Our endoscopic management algorithm for GIB in LVAD patients proved effective in reducing low-yield procedures, improving the diagnostic and therapeutic yield of endoscopy, and decreasing health-care resource utilization and costs, while not increasing the risk of a re-bleeding event.
SUBMITTER: Axelrad JE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9936864 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Axelrad Jordan E JE Faye Adam S AS Pinsino Alberto A Thanataveerat Anusorn A Cagliostro Barbara B Pineda Marie Finelle T MFT Ross Katherine K Te-Frey Rosie T RT Effner Lisa L Garan Arthur R AR Topkara Veli K VK Takayama Hiroo H Takeda Koji K Naka Yoshifumi Y Ramirez Ivonne I Garcia-Carrasquillo Reuben R Colombo Paolo C PC Gonda Tamas T Yuzefpolskaya Melana M
Journal of cardiac failure 20191201 4
<h4>Background</h4>Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common complication of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy accounting for frequent hospitalizations and high resource utilization.<h4>Methods</h4>We previously developed an endoscopic algorithm emphasizing upfront evaluation of the small bowel and minimizing low-yield procedures in LVAD recipients with GIB. We compared the diagnostic and therapeutic yield of endoscopy, health-care costs, and re-bleeding rates between conventional ...[more]