4^th World Heart Congress

Ventricular assist devices are an established therapy for advanced heart failure. Continuous flow devices are representing an innovative design with potential for small size and greater reliability by simplification of pumping mechanism. A small percentage of patients who are too ill to wait for donor heart Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) offers lifesaving therapy in them. We started our program in Feb 2015. So far, we have put 17 LVADs in 16 patients. Out of 17, five were Heart Mate II and four were Heart Ware and 8 were Heart Mate III. Twelve patients were male and four were females. Twelve patients had dilated cardiomyopathy and four had ischemic cardiomyopathy. Average ICU stay was 5 days and hospital stay was 18 days. One had thrombosis of device on post-operative day three which required exchange of the device. One of them died on postoperative day 12 because of ventricular arrhythmia and right ventricular failure. In one patient device was removed as bridge to recovery after 18 months. One patient was bridge to transplant. A LVAD provides effective hemodynamic support in patients with end stage heart failure with improved functional status and quality of life. LVAD is the only alternative that offers a ray of hope to thousands of patients whose hearts are too weak to survive and those waiting for a heart transplant. Improvements in device design, along with advances in surgical and medical management have allowed VAD patients to return home, to work, and to their communities, with excellent quality of life.