Ventricular assist devices (VADs) support the adult's failing heart until a donor heart becomes available for transplantation, a technique known as ‘bridge to transplant’.
VADs work by supporting the pumping action of the left ventricle, which is the main pumping chamber of the heart. They sometimes also need to be implanted in the right ventricle.
The implantation of a VAD is only considered in patients with advanced heart failure who may be suitable for a transplant and who are deemed to be deteriorating so rapidly that they will centres generally.
Occasionally, a VAD enables the heart to recover sufficiently for the device to be removed (‘bridge to recovery’). This means that some patients who would have required a heart transplant are able to recover sufficiently for the VAD to be removed. They then no longer need a transplant, thus increasing the overall availability of scarce donor hearts.
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