Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

When your heart struggles to pump, activities such as walking, cooking, or even talking can leave you breathless and drained. Swelling, fatigue, and shortness of breath may start to feel like your new normal. But there’s help to relieve your symptoms—right here. 

At WMCHealth, our specialists offer advanced heart failure treatments, including left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). For more than a decade, we’ve led LVAD care, helping to shape national treatment guidelines through early clinical trials and using the latest technologies. Whether you need short-term support while waiting for a transplant or long-term therapy to live your life, we provide expert care across New York. 

What to Know About Your LVAD Procedure 

Implanting and living with an LVAD involves planning, surgery, and follow-up care. Here’s what to expect at each step. 

How to Prepare 

Before your procedure, your team will complete a full evaluation. This may include: 

• Lung, kidney, and liver function tests 
• Blood tests, imaging, and cardiac catheterization 
• A readiness session to learn how the LVAD works, how to care for it, and what to expect during recovery 

What to Expect During the LVAD Procedure 

LVADs are placed with open-heart surgery. In some cases, a cardiac surgeon may use a smaller less invasive approach through the ribs, which helps with faster recovery and pain control. Your heart failure cardiologist and cardiac surgeon will explain which option is right for you. 

• The surgeon connects the LVAD between your left ventricle and your aorta to help pump blood through your body. 
• A driveline (a thin cable) is tunneled under your skin and brought out through your abdomen. This connects the internal pump to a small controller and external batteries that power the pump. 

The procedure typically takes four to six hours. 

What to Expect After 

After surgery, you’ll stay in the cardiac ICU for a few days. Critical care nurses, heart failure cardiologists, and other specialists will check your heart, breathing, and incision each day. You and your caregiver will also start hands-on training to learn how to care for the LVAD safely. 

After the ICU, you’ll move to a hospital room to continue your recovery. Most patients stay in the hospital for two to three weeks. During this time, you’ll practice walking, bathing, and using the LVAD with help from your care team.  

Once you’re stable and confident, your team will get you ready to return home. Then, you’ll receive ongoing care through our outpatient advanced heart failure program. This includes regular checkups, monitoring, and support from cardiologists, nurses, and LVAD specialists.