A ventricular assist device (VAD) is a mechanical pump that helps a heart that is too weak to pump blood through the body. It is sometimes referred to as “a bridge to transplant” since it can help a patient survive until a heart transplant can be performed.

When is it used?
A VAD is used to aid the pumping action of a weakened heart ventricle (a major pumping chamber of the heart).
VADs were originally intended for short-term use to support failing hearts until donor hearts became available.

Some VADs are now used for long-term (destination) therapy in severe heart failure patients who are not candidates for heart transplants.

How does it work?
A VAD does not replace the heart. Instead, it works with the patient’s own heart to pump sufficient blood throughout the body.

The VAD consists of a pump, a control system, and an energy supply. Some VADs rely on a battery for their energy supply; others use compressed air (pneumatic). The energy supply and the control system are located outside the body; the pump can be either inside or outside the body.

In a VAD, blood flows from the ventricles into a pump. A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) receives blood from the left ventricle and delivers it to the aorta -- the large artery that carries the blood from the heart to the rest of the body. A right ventricular assist device (RVAD) receives blood from the right ventricle and delivers it to the pulmonary artery – the artery that carries blood from the heart to the lungs.

What will it accomplish?
A VAD will partially relieve the symptoms of severe heart failure, such as breathlessness and fatigue.

The VAD will “buy time” for a patient needing a heart transplant or nearing the end of life. Since many VADs are portable, patients can live at home and resume some activities while waiting for a heart transplant.

What are the risks?
VAD implant surgery carries risks of severe complications. Potential complications include bleeding, development of blood clots, respiratory failure, kidney failure, infection, stroke, and device failure.

Your doctor will tell you more about the risks associated with ventricular assist devices.

When should it not be used?
A VAD should be used only in patients who are eligible for heart transplants or who have severe end-stage congestive heart failure and are not candidates for heart transplants.

Some VADs cannot be used with very short or very thin patients who have low body surface areas.

Poor candidates for VADs include people with:

Irreversible kidney failure
Severe liver disease
Blood clotting disorders
Severe lung disease
Infections that do not respond to antibiotics