Warfarin and aspirin versus warfarin alone for prevention of bleeding and thrombotic events in patients with a HeartMate 3™ left ventricular assist device.

Abstract

We conducted a single-center, retrospective comparison of adult patients who received warfarin and ASA or warfarin alone after HeartMate 3 (HM3) LVAD placement. The primary outcome was a composite of bleeding and thrombotic events. Of 81 patients, 53 patients received warfarin and ASA, and 28 patients received warfarin alone. A primary outcome event occurred in 22 of 53 patients (41.4%) in the warfarin and ASA group and in 2 of 28 patients (7.1%) in the warfarin alone group (p = 0.0533). The odds of a bleeding event occurring were higher in the warfarin and ASA group (32.1% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.01309). The odds of a thrombotic event occurring were not significantly different between the warfarin and ASA group and the warfarin alone group (9.4% vs. 0%, respectively, p = 0.1582). The complete omission of ASA from the antithrombotic regimen of patients with a HM3 LVAD was associated with less bleeding events without an increase in thrombotic events.