Effect of aortic valve movements on gastrointestinal bleeding that occured in continuous flow left ventricular assist device patients.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is one of the recently reported complications with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). The pathophysiology and etiology are unclear. We sought to describe the relationship between aortic valve movements and GI bleeding among patients with a new generation of LVAD.