Can a patient with a VAD ever go home? What are the complications associated with use of a VAD?

Implantation of a ventricular assist device (VAD) in many patients results in a dramatic improvement in their medical condition and health. Heart failure symptoms can improve significantly. This allows most patients to return back home with the VAD, to enjoy an improved quality of life.

After surgery to implant the VAD, you will be monitored in the intensive care unit. Typically, a breathing tube will help your lungs function and can be removed within a few days. Within a week or so you will be moved out of the ICU to a regular hospital room.

After this surgery you will experience some pain where the incisions were made in your chest and abdomen. The medical staff will give you pain medicine in addition to your heart medicines. As you recover, you will work with nurses and physical therapists to regain your strength and mobility.

After this, you will learn how the VAD works. You will need to become intimately familiar with all the components of the VAD system. You will become comfortable performing all “troubleshooting” maneuvers.

Most patients are able to leave the hospital within 2 to 4 weeks of surgery, assuming their recovery is uneventful. Depending on the nature of your job, it may be possible to return back to work within several months after your VAD surgery.

Because the implantation of a ventricular assist device involves major heart surgery, there are important potential complications. There is a small risk of serious complications related to the VAD surgery itself, such as a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, or even death. There is also a small chance that the VAD may not work properly, may malfunction, or may not improve your heart failure symptoms. In these situations a repeat VAD surgery may be necessary.

After successful VAD implantation, however, most patients do very well. Because there is a mechanical pump in the bloodstream, there is always a small risk of blood clots forming or a stroke developing; you will be maintained on some type of blood thinner to prevent this.

The greatest risk to a patient with a VAD is the risk of infection. This is usually a local skin infection where the tube (the “driveline”) exits from your abdomen. Some patients, however, may develop a systemic infection (“sepsis”) that can be very serious. Any type of infection is taken very seriously, as infection can lead to malfunction of the VAD, and this can jeopardize your health. You will learn techniques to meticulously care for your VAD and its components to minimize the risk of infection.