Fort Worth medical center introduces device to help advanced heart failure patients
A potentially life-saving device meant to help patients with advanced heart failure who are awaiting a transplant or are not eligible for one is coming to Tarrant County, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center said in a news release Thursday.
The left ventricular assist device, commonly referred to as an LVAD, helps patients with advanced heart failure by partially or fully replacing the pumping of a heart. Advanced heart failure, which happens when the heart can’t pump enough blood to supply the whole body, leads to fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, decreased mobility and extreme buildup of body fluids. It can lead to death.
An LVAD is placed under the skin of the upper abdomen and two tubes are surgically connected to the heart’s left ventricle, a chamber of the heart, and the aorta, the main artery that carries blood away from the heart and to the rest of the body.
Baylor Scott & White performed its first LVAD installation on July 26 and the patient has recovered, according to the release.
The program is the first of its kind in Tarrant County, according to the hospital.
“With an LVAD, a patient’s quality of life can improve dramatically: They can ride a bicycle, play golf, go to ball games, play instruments, go on hikes or travel across the country,” said Dr. Salman Gohar, medical director of the advanced heart failure and mechanical circulatory support service at Baylor Scott & White – Fort Worth, in the release “But more importantly, they can survive without taking a lot of medicines to keep fluid from building up. And they do so with fewer trips to the hospital or emergency department and with more time spent with those they love.”
To reach the advanced heart failure clinic at Baylor Scott & White in Fort Worth, call 817-922-2273 and select option 2.