Study Population and Patient Characteristics
Institutional Review Board approval was obtained for this single-center study of FEES in adult patients (≥18 years of age and <90 years of age) undergoing durable LVAD placement. Patient informed consent was obtained for postoperative FEES. Over a one-year period (February 2019 – January 2020), 25 patients received a durable ventricular assist device at the study institution; patients undergoing biventricular assist device implantation were excluded. Six patients undergoing durable LVAD placement were enrolled prospectively during the study period. These patients underwent FEES within 72 hours of extubation postoperatively. A group of 12 control patients also undergoing durable LVAD placement but not FEES from the same one-year period were evaluated for comparison.