Tampa General Medical Group cardiologists provide expertise in heart failure and transplant care as members of the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Tampa General Hospital. TGMG physicians evaluate and manage the treatment of patients suffering from a failing heart who receive a mechanical circulatory support device. Click here for the Cardiothoracic Transplant Referral Form.
A ventricular (or cardiac) assist device (VAD) is a mechanical device that helps a weakened heart by taking on some of its workload and is used when a patient in heart failure has exhausted the usual therapies of medical and surgical care. It works by taking over the pumping action of a failing heart ventricle to provide adequate blood circulation throughout the body. VADs can be used as a bridge to recovery or to transplant, or may be implanted permanently for long-term therapy in patients with severe heart failure who are not candidates for heart transplantation.
Tampa General Hospital has the busiest transplant program in the state and the fourth busiest in the nation. The availability of a variety of mechanical circulatory support devices is necessary to support the sickest patients waiting for a new heart. These devices enable a patient to wait at home, and in some cases, even return to work. If mechanical circulatory support is determined appropriate, you will be referred to a surgeon for implantation. The specific type of device that is best for you will be determined by your surgeon based on your situation and body type.
