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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

The WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 28, 2012
High Right Atrial Pressure and Low Pulse Pressure Predict Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients With Left Ventricular
Joanna M Joly1, Ashraf El-Dabh1, James K Kirklin2
1University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Disease, Birmingham, Alabama.
Background:
Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) remains a major morbid event during continuous flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. This study investigated whether a common hemodynamic profile is associated with GIB in patients with LVADs.
Methods And Results:
A single institution analysis reviewed all patients who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) following LVAD implant between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2013, with follow-up through June 2015. Kaplan-Meier and multiphase hazard statistical methods were employed. Among 108 patients with 341 RHC, 55 hospitalizations for GIB occurred within 1 year of RHC. Freedom from GIB at 6 months was 92% in patients with pulse pressure ≥35 mmHg, compared with 76% with pulse pressure <35 mmHg. By multivariable analysis, the significant predictors of GIB were: older age at implant, number of prior GIB, lower pulse pressure, lower mean arterial pressure, and higher right atrial pressure (all P < .05). The magnitude of effect is influenced by pulse pressure.
Conclusions:
Greater pulsatility and less venous congestion, along with other factors, are associated with a lower risk for GIB. It is reasonable to adjust therapeutic strategies to target this hemodynamic profile in patients with a propensity for GIB.
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