Background Ventricular assist devices (VADs) are increasingly being used as a bridge to
transplantation and have been implicated as a risk factor for allosensitization to human
leukocyte antigens (HLA). We investigate the association between VAD and
allosensitization to human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and major-histocompatibility-complex
(MHC) class I-related Chain A (MICA) antigens. Methods We considered all patients who
received a VAD at our institution between 2000 and 2009; 89 of them had pre-VAD and post …