Norton Audubon Hospital, winner of the Heart Care CenterTM: National Distinction of Excellence from the American Heart Association, is accredited for ventricular assist device implantation. Norton Heart & Vascular Institute is built on a legacy of innovation that includes the world’s second artificial heart transplant.
If medication is no longer controlling your heart failure symptoms, you may be eligible for mechanical circulatory support such as a ventricular assist device. The board-certified and fellowship-trained specialists in the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Ventricular Assist Device Program implant the mechanical pump alongside the heart to help it pump blood more effectively.
Once used primarily as a temporary measure for those awaiting a heart transplant, ventricular assist devices have made many heart transplants unnecessary. The ventricular assist device now provides long-term support that helps patients go on with productive lives.
Ventricular Assist Device Program Team
- Your cardiovascular surgeon implants the ventricular assist device.
- Your heart failure cardiologist provides care before and after the ventricular assist device placement.
- Your highly trained perfusionists manage your ventricular assist device during and after your surgery.
- Ventricular assist device coordinators answer your questions, help with education before implantation and work with the cardiologist to manage your care before and after surgery.
- A social worker helps with patient and family support.
- A financial coordinator works with you to coordinate insurance approvals and financial matters for the ventricular assist device and related medications.
- The palliative care team provides support for long-term care decisions.