Kristy Carlson

Objective Identify baseline epistaxis rates and epistaxis‐related health care utilization trends in the ventricular assist device (VAD) population. Methods Single center, retrospective cohort study consisting of chart review of adult VAD patients. Analysis of descriptive statistics was assessed using χ 2 tests, independent sample t tests, or Fisher's exact when expected counts were low. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between epistaxis and variables of interest. Results Two hundred ninety patients were included in the analysis. Ninety‐eight (33.8%) patients developed epistaxis and 84 (29.0%) received medical attention. Patients with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding had increased rates of epistaxis (42.4% vs 29.0%). Logistic regression analysis found GI bleeding to have an adjusted odds of developing epistaxis of 1.94 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12‐3.37) and kidney disease to have an adjusted odds of 1.83 (95% CI: 1.06, 3.13). Discussion VAD implantation improves survival and quality of life but also carries significant bleeding risks. At our institution, 29% of VAD patients received medical attention for epistaxis. GI bleeding and kidney disease were found to have increased adjusted odds of developing epistaxis. Fifty‐nine percent of epistaxis events occurred while inpatient and 32.8% of events were seen in the emergency department. Implications for Practice VAD patients are an at‐risk group that could potentially benefit from preventative nasal hydration regimen.