Platelet count in heart failure patients undergoing left ventricular assist device

Abstract Aims Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, a therapy for end‐stage heart failure, is associated with platelet (PLT) activation. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic impact of PLT count in patients with LVAD implantation. Methods and Results Data from the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) registry were investigated, and patients were divided into three groups according to tertiles. The dynamic change of PLT counts and its associations with long‐term outcomes were analysed. The primary outcome was long‐term mortality. A total of 19 517 patients who received the first continuous‐flow LVAD were identified from the INTERMACS registry. The PLT count underwent a dynamic change towards normalization after LVAD implantation. Compared with intermediate, both high (hazard ratio [HR], 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 to 1.17, P = 0.033) and low (HR, 1.18, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.27, P