 St. Luke's Heart Care
Ventricular assist devices
On March 4, Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center aired actual
footage of a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) being implanted into a 49-year old
woman with heart failure. Available for the last decade, VADs are designed to
keep people alive while awaiting a heart transplant. St. Luke's performs more
VAD procedures than any other Wisconsin hospital.
More on ventricular assist devices
A VAD is a small mechanical pump that is attached to the
left ventricle of the heart, under the collarbone. Once a VAD is implanted, a
wire passes through the lower abdominal wall and attaches to an external battery
pack that powers the pump. Blood flows through the heart into the aorta and out
to the other organs as well as the vessels in the arms and legs. St. Luke's
became the first hospital in the Midwest to implant a VAD in 1994.
Historically, the VAD was primarily used as "bridge to
transplant" therapy - keeping a patient's heart pumping while awaiting a heart
transplant. On average, the wait for a heart transplant can be six months to a
year. Before VADs were available, many people on the transplant list could not
survive this wait. VADs give some patients new hope by helping keep these people
alive until a suitable heart match can found.
Patients who receive a VAD can expect to typically spend
about one month in the hospital post implant. Most patients are then released
home where they are able to move about and live a normal life while awaiting the
transplant.
Recently, this therapy was approved by the FDA for
"destination therapy". This means that now VADs can be used as a permanent
solution for patients with severe congestive heart failure.
To find a St. Luke's Heart Care physician,
click here or call 1-888-973-2663.
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