Ventricular Assist Devices at Jefferson
Nearly 5 million patients are living with heart failure, and 550,000 new cases are reported every year. The most common reasons for heart failure are coronary artery disease, hypertension and diabetes. The modalities to treat this problem include life style changes, pharmacologic therapies, heart transplantation and the implantation of ventricular assist devices, also known as VADs.
A VAD is a mechanical device that is used to take over the pumping function for one or both of the heart's ventricles and may be required to support the heart in order to ensure the amount of blood pumped out by the heart per minute is enough to meet the body's needs. VADs work on the principles of a centrifugal pump, volume displacement pump or axial flow pump and can be placed outside or implanted within the body. Some VADs are designed to support the right heart alone or both ventricles, but commonly the left ventricle is the primary point of support.
If you are a candidate for a ventricular assist device, the staff of Jefferson's Mechanical Circulatory Support Program along with the Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Center will provide exceptional care and a healing environment. A knowledgeable and skilled team of physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, pharmacists, dieticians, researchers and staff with robust expertise and state-of-the-art resources will support you. Our cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons have collectively performed more than 1,200 lifetime heart transplants. Jefferson also has Advanced Certification by the Joint Commission as a VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) Destination Therapy Facility.
Jefferson patients have access to the latest devices including:
- The Jarvik 2000® as a temporary remedy while waiting for a heart. This device is currently under FDA-approved study for the use as a bridge to transplant. The Jarvik 2000 Heart Assist System is the next generation of assist devices. About the size of a C battery, it is the smallest and simplest, totally implantable, left ventricular assist device available. It fits directly inside the heart's left chamber, pumping blood from the heart at up to 7 liters per minute. With the use of this device, waiting at home for heart transplantation is feasible.
- The FDA-approved HeartMate II LVAS (left ventricular assist system) for bridge to transplant and Destination Therapy. Not only is this device used as a bridge to transplant but the HeartMate II can be used to provide long-term cardiac support for patients with advanced-stage heart failure who are not eligible for transplantation. A continuous flow device, the HeartMate II is an implantable LVAS powered by a rotary pumping mechanism and is designed to have a much longer functional life than pulsatile devices and to operate more simply and quietly. The device provides blood flow through the circulatory system on a continuous basis with only one moving part. It is also smaller and easier to implant than previously approved pulsatile devices. With the use of this device, waiting at home for heart transplantation is feasible.
- The Abiomed AB5000 is a VAD used to support your circulation until your heart recovers or a donor heart becomes available for transplantation. The Abiomed AB5000 is a temporary system designed to help the heart pump enough blood to the body. To accomplish support, blood flows from the heart to the VAD (pump), and then back to the body. The VAD supports both the left and right sides of the heart. One or two pump(s) will rest on your abdomen (externally).