Heart Failure Treatment

Advanced-Stage Heart Failure Treatments

Ventricular Assist Device (VAD)

For advanced-stage heart failure patients, drug therapies may not be enough. And as heart failure progresses to an advanced-stage, namely NHYA Class III or Class IV, a VAD may become a consideration.

VADs, which help a weakened or damaged heart pump blood throughout the body, have emerged as a viable option for many patients. These heart pumps work with the failing heart to help it pump blood to the rest of the body. They are not a heart replacement, and your heart will continue to function.

VADs can assist the normal heart function, extend life and provide an improved quality of life for those with heart failure. A VAD may be used for short-term support while a patient is waiting for a donor heart for a bridge-to-transplantation. And for patients who are ineligible for a heart transplant, a VAD may be used for long-term or permanent support.

Heart failure studies have demonstrated that long-term use of VADs can help patients with severe heart failure live longer and enjoy an improved quality of life compared with those being treated with medication.¹ In fact, patients with a VAD, who previously had severe symptoms even at rest, were able to resume normal activities with little or no limitation. The reduction in symptoms was both dramatic and sustained over time.^{1, 2, 3, 4}

1. Lloyd-Jones D, Adams R, Carnethon M, et al. American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics 2009 update: a report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation. 2009;119(3):480-6.

2. Rose EA, Gelijns AC, Moskowitz AJ, et al. Randomized Evaluation of Mechanical Assistance for the Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure (REMATCH) study group. Long-term use of a left ventricular assist device for end-stage heart failure. N Engl J Med. 2001;345(20):1435-43.

3. Rogers JG, Butler J, Lansman SL, et al. Chronic mechanical circulatory support for inotrope-dependent heart failure patients who are not transplant candidates. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007;50;741-747.

4. Hershberger RE, Nauman D, Walker TL, Dutton D, Burgess D. Care processes and clinical outcomes of continuous outpatient support with inotropes (COSI) in patients with refractory endstage heart failure. J Card Fail. 2003;22(6):616-624.