Bridge to Transplantation
When used as a bridge-to-transplantation, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) support heart failure patients who are too sick to wait for a donor heart to be located.
The LVAD allows the heart to rest, heal, and grow stronger before the stress of transplant surgery.
On average, patients remain on a LVAD for 4-6 months prior to transplantation.
If their health permits, they can return home from the hospital during that time and resume limited activities.
FDA-approved devices approved for use in bridge-to-transplantation include:
In addition, some patients may require only temporary support preceding or following heart surgery, even though they are not candidates for a transplant.
For these patients, a device such as the ABIOMED BVS®5000, AB5000™, or Thoratec® VAD may be used on a short-term basis.
Learn more about heart transplantation.
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