A ventricular assist device (VAD) is a battery-operated mechanical pump. It helps the heart pump blood throughout the body.
Sometimes, we call the devices LVADs, when surgeons attach a VAD to the left ventricle, which is the lower left chamber of your heart.
VADs can help improve your quality of life if you have end-stage heart failure or are waiting for a heart transplant. A VAD may also serve as an alternative to a heart transplant. To get a VAD, you undergo open-heart surgery.
Emory Heart & Vascular has one of the leading VAD programs in the United States.
