Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) are mechanical pumps that support the main pumping chamber of the heart, the left ventricle. They are implanted in patients with advanced heart failure who are still very symptomatic despite medications and specialized pacemakers.
This video is one of a series of videos created for the Ted Rogers Heart Failure website. It is intended to help patients with the process of providing informed consent to have an LVAD implantation. It reviews:
- The anatomy of the heart
- What happens during heart failure
- What an LVAD is and how it works to improve the circulation
- What happens during the operation
- Recovery in the hospital after the surgery
- Living with an LVAD after discharge from the hospital
