Serotonergic antidepressants and hospitalization for bleeding in patients supported with a continuous flow left ventricular assist device.

Background: Continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF -LVAD) improve survival in patients with advanced heart failure, but confer risk of bleeding complications. Serotonergic antidepressants (SA) are commonly used in heart failure patients receiving LVADs, but their inhibitory effect on platelet function may contribute to bleeding risk.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of LVAD patients at our institution from 2016 -2019 comparing patients treated with SA after LVAD to those without SA.