Figure 2.

A, Tornado diagram analysis of influential parameters affecting incremental cost among patients who received a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The tornado diagram is a one-way sensitivity analysis that evaluates the potential impact of incremental cost-effectiveness of one variable while the others are held constant, determining which variable has the greatest potential impact on cost-effectiveness. The variables listed were ordered by their influence on the incremental cost with the most influential listed at the top. The expected value (EV) lines represent the incremental value between the extracorporeal membranous oxygenation (ECMO) and non-ECMO strategies among patients who received an LVAD using the base case value for each variable. In this figure, inpatient costs among ECMO-bridged patients were the most influential where the incremental value increases as the parameter increases (from blue to red); while for the cost of non-bridged LVAD, the incremental value decreases as the parameter increases (from blue to red). This finding is the opposite of the effect observed in ECMO bridged transplant patients. B, Tornado diagram analysis of influential parameters affecting incremental effectiveness among patients who received LVAD. The tornado diagram is a one-way sensitivity analysis that evaluates the potential impact of incremental cost-effectiveness of one variable while the others are held constant, determining which variable has the greatest potential impact on cost-effectiveness. The variables listed were ordered by their influence on the incremental effectiveness with the most influential listed at the top. The EV lines represent the incremental value between the ECMO and non-ECMO strategies among patients who received an LVAD. In this figure, quality adjusted life-years (QALY) after ECMO bridged LVAD placement was the most influential where the incremental value decreases as the parameter increases (from blue to red).