Heart Failure Care Designed for Heart Recovery

Heart failure recovery is possible. The specialists at the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure & Recovery Program prove it every day.

For patients whose heart failure wasn’t caused by blockages or heart attack, we cure more than 50% of heart failure cases with medication when we can treat it early. Nationally, the benchmark is 10%.

Even patients with advanced heart failure are finding they can recover enough to return to living their lives with ventricular assist devices that often make heart transplants unnecessary.

Heart failure describes a heart muscle that isn’t pumping as well as it should. A weakened heart can’t supply enough oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The result can lead to stages of heart failure that start with little or no symptoms and can progress to shortness of breath as you try to get more oxygen into your lungs. Everyday activities such as walking or climbing stairs can become very difficult. At its worst, heart failure leads to shortness of breath even while resting.

Family history, aging, unhealthy habits and conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity all can increase your risk for heart failure. African Americans are at greater risk than those of other races and often experience heart failure at a younger age and are more likely to have more severe heart failure.

Heart failure treatment begins with monitoring and addressing lifestyle habits. It will include medication to help your heart pump better and, if the condition worsens, ventricular assist devices and possibly heart transplant for the most severe cases.

• Same-day appointments are available for new patients at locations in downtown Louisville and on the campuses of Norton Audubon Hospital and Norton Brownsboro Hospital.
• Our compassionate and dedicated team includes specially trained heart failure cardiologists and advanced practice providers, a social worker, nurse navigators and dedicated pharmacist to help create a custom plan for care and make sure you and your family’s questions are answered at every step.
• When diagnosed promptly, more than 50% of patients with heart failure that wasn’t caused by heart attacks or blockages are cured, compared with about 10% nationally.
• Our program has advanced heart failure monitoring technology to detect signs of a weakening heart before you feel symptoms, with a goal of preventing hospital stays.
• We are a DNV-accredited provider of ventricular assist devices and are recognized as High Performing in Heart Failure by U.S. News & World Report.
• Our advanced care for severe heart failure includes ventricular assist device implants, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support to give your heart a rest and time to heal, and access to heart transplants with ongoing aftercare.
• Medicare, Medicaid and most major commercial insurance plans are accepted.
• Book appointments, get alerts when an earlier appointment becomes available, communicate with your medical provider, refill prescriptions and more through your free Norton MyChart account.

Read More

LVAD patient Bob Wilson gets a heart transplant and resumes his life

Bob Wilson probably had about six months to live when surgeons implanted a left ventricular assist device and arranged for a heart transplant.

Read Bob's story