You've been living with heart failure for a while now. It's gotten worse. You're feeling tired, out of breath, and anxious. You're wondering what steps you can take to feel better. The heart device specialist at UVA Health can help answer that question. A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) can help your end-stage heart failure.
An LVAD is a battery-operated, mechanical pump. We use surgery to put it inside your body, It helps your heart pump blood around your body. UVA Health was the first hospital in Virginia to implant LVADs.
Get the Latest LVAD Tech at UVA Health
We use the latest LVAD tech, which is the smallest pump used in the United States. The devices can last 3-5 years. And, you can go home with these devices rather than stay in the hospital.
If you're seriously ill, having an LVAD allows you to have other procedures that you might have been too sick for without it.
Nationally-Recognized Heart Failure Care
Our heart failure program won 2 national awards from the American Heart Association for the quality of our care.
We’re also listed among the top hospitals in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report. Our heart failure services received a score of "high performing," the highest score for this kind of care.
How the LVAD Helped This Patient
The LVAD helps Mark Wolf, a heart failure patient, while he waits for a heart transplant. Watch Mark talk about how his LVAD manages his heart failure. View LVAD transcript.
LVAD Instead of Heart Transplant
UVA Health is also certified to use LVADs as an alternative to heart transplants.
Medical restrictions and age keeps some heart failure patients from getting a heart transplant. But, you may benefit from an LVAD as a permanent transplant alternative.