St. Mary's first patient implanted with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

In June 2010, Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital discharged its first patient to be implanted with a Left Ventricular Assist Device or LVAD. The device, dubbed a bionic heart, helps a failing heart pump blood throughout the body. Mr. Wesley Farnsworth's treatment team included Bon Secours Advanced Heart Failure Center Director Gary Zeevi, MD.

Marc Katz, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Heart & Vascular Institute, performed the surgery, implanting the HeartMate II into a 53-year-old patient from Virginia. Dr. Katz has preformed over 50 LVAD implantations, although this was the first for the Bon Secours system.

St. Mary's is one of only five community hospitals in the U.S. to offer implantation of the HeartMate II. LVADs formerly were only available at transplant centers.

St. Mary's offers the LVAD to patients as either a "bridge-to-transplant" whereby it acts as a temporary heart until transplantation can take place; or as a "destination" procedure, which means that the HeartMate II becomes a functioning heart for the patient.

To learn more about the LVAD device contact the Bon Secours Heart and Vascular Institute:
http://richmond.bonsecours.com/our-services-heart-and-vascular.html

To learn more about Bon Secours Virginia Health System and to connect with us online, visit: http://www.bonsecoursgoodsharing.org

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• lvad
• smh
• st marys
• richmond
• virginia
• Bon Secours
• BSR
• heart attack
• heart disease
• MI
• LVAD
• Katz
• Zeevi
• Heart and Vascular
• cardio
• cardiac

[daniel4880]

So where will bridge-to-transplant patients have their transplants done?