Risk factors and outcomes of fungal Ventricular-Assist device infections

Background Infection is a common complication of ventricular-assist devices (VADs) and is associated with re-hospitalization, thromboembolic events, VAD malfunction, delay in heart transplantation, and a high mortality rate. The objectives of this study were to investigate the frequency of fungal VAD infections and assess various risk factors and their effects on mortality as compared to bacterial VAD infections.