What Are The Benefits Of An LVAD?
Use of LVAD As A Bride To Transplant!
Use of LVAD in Destination Therapy!
An LVAD, better known as left ventricular assist device, is a man-made mechanical device that helps pump blood from the left ventricle of your heart into the aorta to further supply this blood to the rest of your body during a heart failure. An LVAD is generally used when the heart is too weak to pump enough blood on its own.
LVAD
Doctors use the left ventricular assist device as long-term treatment for heart failure. They use it as a “bridge to transplant” to keep the patient’s body alive until a perfectly functioning donor heart is available for replacement. It is not considered as a replacement for your diseased or abnormally functioning heart and only provides for an additional support that your heart needs to push blood normally. If you have an LVAD, you will need to take special precautions to avoid infection. You will also need to have regular checkups to make sure the device is working properly.
How LVAD Functions?
The left ventricular assist device is generally implanted into the patient’s chest to take over the pumping action of the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, and helps circulate blood throughout the body. LVADs are powered by an external battery pack that is worn outside the body. The battery pack is connected to the LVAD by a cable that runs under the skin. The LVAD pump is implanted in the left ventricle, and a tube called a driveline is threaded through a vein in the chest to the outside of the body, where it connects to the battery pack. The LVAD pump contains a rotating shaft with blades that are attached to the ventricle. As the shaft rotates, the blades pull blood from the ventricle and then pump it out of the heart and into the aorta.
What Are The Benefits Of An LVAD?
LVADs can improve the quality of life for people with advanced heart failure. People with an LVAD often have more energy, are able to return to work or other activities, and can experience an improved sense of well-being. LVADs can also prolong life. In a large study of people with advanced heart failure, those who received an left ventricular assist device were more likely to be alive at two years than those who did not receive an LVAD.
- Doctors use LVADs as a destination therapy. They use it for people with advanced heart failure. Such patients are not candidates for a heart transplant.
- Doctors use the left ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplant. This means that they implant the device until a donor heart becomes available.
Use of LVAD as a Bridge to Transplant!
Heart is the most vital organ of the body. It is difficult to find a normally functioning heart for a transplant. There is a long waiting list of patients. These patients await heart transplant. As such, the availability of heart donors depends on their willingness to donate. This is after the donors have transpired. It also depends on the technique by which the donor heart is preserved. Generally donor hearts isolated from the deceased body must be transplanted within 6 hours for best transplant outcomes. Some patients with a heart failure await a heart transplant. This bridge to transplant type of LVAD implantation is essential to make the patient survive until the donor heart is available for surgical replacement.
Use of LVAD in Destination Therapy!
When a patient is not considered as a suitable candidate for heart transplantation, the LVAD can be used as a part of destination therapy. This depends on his heart health, body size, and other comorbidities. It is generally considered for patients who have failed medication therapy, lifestyle modifications, and other interventional cardiac procedures in managing heart failure.
Consult Dr. Arun for LVAD Therapy
Dr. Arun is a board-certified interventional cardiologist with great skills and expertise in cardiology and has a vast experience in using the best surgical techniques to keep your heart healthy and safe. He is an expert of making the best use of LVAD therapy. He uses this to help his patients who are in extreme distress due to their heart condition. The doctor has achieved great success with his postsurgical outcomes for all his patients.
