ALERT!

This site is not optimized for Internet Explorer 8 (or older).

Please upgrade to a newer version of Internet Explorer or use an alternate browser such as Chrome or Firefox.

Hospital Readmissions After Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: Incidence, Causes, and Cost Analysis

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Submitted by

Arie Blitz

Source

Source Name: Annals of Thoracic Surgery

Source URL: http://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/article/S0003-4975(15)00373-2/abstract

Author(s)

Shahab A. Akhter, Abbasali Badami, Margaret Murray, Takushi Kohmoto, Lucian Lozonschi, Satoru Osaki, Entela B. Lushaj

The University of Wisconsin group analyzed the etiology, costs, and effect on survival of unplanned readmissions after LVAD surgery. At a median follow-up of 11 months, 68 of the 103 patients (66%) were readmitted. The top 3 causes of readmission were GI bleeding, driveline infection, and stroke. Thirty patients (44%) were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. The median direct cost of each readmission was $7,546. Survival was not significantly affected by hospital readmission.