Temporal Trends in Contemporary Use of Ventricular Assist Devices by Race and Ethnicity

The proportion of racial/ethnic minorities receiving ventricular assist devices (VADs) has previously been less than expected. It is unclear if trends have changed since the broadening of access to insurance in 2014 and the rapid adoption of VAD technology. Using the Interagency Registry of Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support, we analyzed time trends by race/ethnicity for 10 795 patients (white, 67.4%; African-American, 24.8%; Hispanic, 6.3%; Asian, 1.5%) who had a VAD implanted between 2012 and 2015. Linear models were fit to the annual census-adjusted rate of VAD implantation for each racial/ethnic group, stratified by sex and age group. From 2012 to 2015, African-Americans had an increase in the census-adjusted annual rate of VAD implantation per 100 000 (0.26 [95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.34]) while other ethnic groups exhibited no significant changes (white: 0.06 [-0.03 to 0.14]; Hispanic: 0.04 [-0.05 to 0.12]; Asian: 0.04 [-0.04 to 0.13]). Stratified by sex, rates increased in both African-American men and women (