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Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

  • What is a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)?

    Mount Elizabeth, Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

    The left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, is a device that takes over the left heart ventricle’s pumping action. The thickest of all the heart’s chambers, the left heart ventricle pumps oxygenated blood to tissues in the body in order to maintain healthy blood circulation.

    LVAD is normally used for patients with severely weakened hearts despite medication therapy, particularly in cases where the patient has end-stage congestive heart failure. In heart failure, the heart's muscle weakens and loses its ability to pump enough blood to support the body's functions.

     

     

     

    Patients suffering from end-stage congestive heart failure may experience:

    • Persistent low blood pressure
    • Breathlessness
    • Swelling of the body
    • Difficulty in sleeping, eating, walking
    • Disruption of organ functions such as the kidney and liver

    During LVAD implantation, our specialists will connect one end of the pump to your left ventricle and the other to your aorta, the biggest artery in the body. The LVAD is then joined via a special cable to a computer controller and a battery that remains outside your body.

  • LVAD2

    For patients with heart failure, the LVAD can help restore normal blood flow, thereby relieving symptoms of heart failure such as constant tiredness or shortness of breath.

    An LVAD can also be used to stabilise a patient’s medical condition before a heart transplant.

    However, if a patient is not a suitable candidate for a heart transplant, the LVAD can still be an option to restore normal blood circulation. Called destination therapy, studies have shown that destination therapy may double the one-year survival rate of patients with end-stage heart failure, as compared to treatment with medication alone.

  • Mount Elizabeth hospitals offer LVAD implantation as well as destination therapy for patients suffering from chronic heart failure.

    With over 30 years of experience as an established private hospital in Singapore, we have a group of specialised cardiologists and cardiac surgeons who treat patients from all over the world at both Mount Elizabeth Orchard and Mount Elizabeth Novena – both award-winning hospitals with modern equipment and facilities.

    Our multi-disciplinary team of medical specialists, nurses and therapists will guide you through the entire treatment and recovery process with care and professionalism – because we are committed to helping you achieve your goal of getting swift, accurate and effective treatment.

    Take your first step towards better health today by making an enquiry or appointment with us below, and experience the high-quality, customised healthcare that has made us one of the leading medical institutions in Asia-Pacific.

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