Acid Suppression to Prevent Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients With Ventricular Assist Devices

The high incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in patients with ventricular assist devices (VAD) is well known, but there is limited evidence to support the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or histamine receptor antagonists (H2RA) for preventing GIB in patients with VAD.

The surgical ICU and VAD databases within a large regional academic cardiac mechanical support and transplant center were queried for patients who underwent VAD implantation between 2010 and 2014. An observational cohort study was conducted to identify which acid suppressing drug regimen was associated with the fewest number of GIB events within 30 d after VAD implantation: PPI, H2RA, or neither. Secondary outcomes included timing, etiology, and location of GIB. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare treatment cohorts to GIB. Odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and P-values were reported from the model.

One hundred thirty-eight patients were included for final analysis, 19 of which had a GIB within 30 days of VAD implantation. Both H2RA and PPI use were associated with reduced GIB compared with the cohort with no acid suppressive therapy. In the multivariate analysis, the PPI cohort showed a statistically significant reduction in GIB (Odds ratio 0.18 [95% confidence interval 0.04-0.79] P = 0.026).

Using PPI postoperatively in patients with new VAD was associated with a reduced incidence of GIB. Given that GIB is a known complication after VAD placement, clinicians should consider the use of acid suppressive therapy for primary prevention.