The Impact of Infection and Elevated INR in LVAD-Associated Intracranial Hemorrhage: A Case-Crossover Study

Despite the common occurrence left ventricular assist device (LVAD)–associated intracranial hemorrhage, the etiology of intracranial hemorrhage is uncertain. We aim to explore the impact of infection and international normalized ratio (INR) on intracranial hemorrhage in a case-crossover study. We reviewed consecutive patients with intracranial hemorrhage in a prospectively collected data of LVAD patients from a single, tertiary center from October 2004 to December 2016. Information on infection and INR values were collected at the time and 1 month before the intracranial hemorrhage as controls. Of 477 persons with LVAD, 47 (10%) developed intracranial hemorrhage (27 intracerebral, 14 subarachnoid, and 6 subdural hemorrhages). Of 47 (median age 58; 39 males), 27 (54%) persons had active infection at the time of intracranial hemorrhage; seven (21%) of 44 LVADs had infection at 1 month before intracranial hemorrhage. The relative risk of intracranial hemorrhage because of active infection compared with the infections at 1 month was 2.3 (95% CI: 1.5–3.4; p
Source: ASAIO Journal - Category: Medical Devices Tags: Adult Circulatory Support Source Type: research