Heart transplantation is in high demand, however it is severely limited due to the short supply of donor organs. About 4,000 donor hearts are available in the world each year - thousands short of the number required. Yet, transplantation is the only widely practiced long-term treatment for heart patients suffering from end-stage heart failure.
Heart-assist devices, such as WorldHeart's Novacor® LVAS, offer end-stage heart patients the opportunity to live more complete, normal, and active lives during Bridge-to-Transplant or Destination Therapy*. This section of the web site is designed to educate and inform you on the topics of Congestive Heart Failure, Novacor® LVAS Patient Experiences, and more.
Note: The information contained within this web site is not intended to substitute for professional advice from doctors or medical practitioners. Rather, it is a resource to improve understanding of heart failure and how it can be treated.
*Currently not FDA approved in the United States.
Stay Informed
For an easy to read and informative description of various types of heart problems and disease and their causes, we recommend this report from the American Heart Association:
Heart failure is a condition of the heart in which the heart muscle becomes weak, requiring the heart to work harder to pump blood through the body. According to the American Heart Association, heart failure is not necessarily a sudden or dramatic change:
"Heart failure develops following injury to the heart such as the damage caused by a heart attack, long-term high blood pressure, or an abnormality of one of the heart valves. The weakened heart must work harder to keep up with the demands of the body, which is why people with heart failure often complain of feeling tired."
In fact, many victims of heart failure may not even realize the implications that their symptoms indicate.
End-Stage Heart Failure
End-stage heart patients are those whose hearts are irreversibly damaged and can not be treated by medical or surgical means other than a heart transplant. Unfortunately, the need for hearts for transplantation far outweighs their availability. The American Heart Association states that thousands more heart patients each year would benefit from transplantation, but do not receive it due to low availability of hearts.
Managing Heart Failure
Many heart failure patients live with medical therapy treatment and changes in lifestyle and diet. For patients with more severe heart failure, like congestive heart failure, implantable LVAS like WorldHeart's Novacor® LVAS are rapidly gaining wide acceptance as viable alternatives to conventional drug and surgical therapies. As the U.S. Department of Health confirms, most instances of heart failure involve the left ventricle:
"Heart failure develops over time as the pumping action of the heart grows weaker. It can affect the left side, the right side, or both sides of the heart. Most cases involve the left side where the heart cannot pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body."
The LVAS maintains and, in many instances, improves a transplant-eligible patient's health until a donor heart becomes available (called Bridge-to-Transplant). The Novacor® LVAS also provides dependable long-term support to those patients not eligible for transplant (known as Alternative-to-Transplant, or Destination Therapy*).
If you have additional questions about your treatment and how WorldHeart products can help, please contact your physician. If you seek further information about World Heart Corporation and its products, please browse this web site, click on our recommended Links, or Contact Us.
*Currently not FDA approved in the United States.
