Relationship Between Bacteremia and Hemorrhagic Stroke in Patients With Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device

Background: Blood stream infection is thought to increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, a major adverse event with devastating outcome, in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). We analyzed the risk factors of hemorrhagic stroke in LVAD patients, as well as the time relationship between systemic bacteremia and hemorrhagic stroke. Methods and Results: We evaluated the incidence of systemic bacteremia and stroke in 164 patients who underwent continuous-flow LVAD implantation between 2005 and 2016. At 1 and 2 years after implantation, the incidence of bacteremia was 29% and 36%, and the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke was 22% and 22% in patients without bacteremia, and 32% and 44% in those with bacteremia, respectively (P=0.035). This higher prevalence of hemorrhagic stroke in patients with bacteremia was notable particularly in the chronic phase (>90 days after implantation). Multivariate analysis revealed that bacteremia was an independent risk factor of hemorrhagic stroke in the chronic phase [hazard ratio, 2.36 (1.02-5.62); P=0.044]. The hazard rate was the highest immediately after the onset of bacteremia, and the risk steadily declined by 90 days after the last episode of bacteremia and flattened thereafter. Conclusions: Bacteremia was an independent risk factor of hemorrhagic stroke in patients in the chronic phase, with the highest risk seen in the early phase following an episode of bacteremia.