Impact of statins on incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding events among patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.

BACKGROUND

Patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) are at increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). Statins are commonly prescribed in LVAD patients for cardiovascular disease prevention. However, their impact on GIB events is controversial. Importantly, literature regarding statins impact on GIB in CF-LVAD patients is lacking.

METHODS

A single-center, retrospective review of adult patients who underwent CF-LVAD implantation between May 2016 and January 2020 was performed. Patients were categorized based on statin use throughout the study period. The primary outcome was the composite of arteriovenous malformation confirmed GIB and major GIB events for up to 1-year post-LVAD implantation.

RESULTS

Of 123 patients included in the final analysis, 66 (54%) received statin therapy during the study period. No difference was observed in the primary outcome between the statin and control groups (RR: 1.73; 95% CI: 0.75-3.98;

CONCLUSION

Among patients with CF-LVADs, there was no significant difference in the incidence of major GIB events associated with the use of statin therapy. Further studies are needed to assess whether a true association exists.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.