Implementation of an intensified outpatient follow-up protocol improves outcomes in patients with ventricular assist devices

Ventricular assist devices (VAD) are increasingly used as long-term treatment for advanced heart failure. However, survival after VAD implantation is still unsatisfactory, and no specific outpatient follow-up algorithms have been formally established. Here, we evaluate the effect of an intensified follow-up protocol (IFUP) on survival rates and VAD-associated complications. This is a retrospective study of 57 patients who received a VAD at our...