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Advanced Heart Failure and LVAD Program
The Center for Cardiovascular Health at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health delivers comprehensive and compassionate care for advanced heart failure and cardiogenic shock. Our program brings together leading experts, cutting-edge technologies and personalized care to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients with advanced heart disease.
Heart failure care in the Puget Sound: Why choose us?
We are one of the few health systems in the nation where multiple Centers of Excellence in heart care work together under unified leadership. Our commitment to achieving exceptional outcomes ensures that every patient receives care meeting the highest standards of quality, safety and effectiveness.
Our team focuses exclusively on people with heart failure, including advanced disease. Highlights of our program include:
- National recognition: You can be confident in the care our specialists provide. The American Heart Association awarded us a Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure Gold Award for heart failure care. U.S. News & World Report also ranks our cardiac, heart and vascular surgery program No. 1 in Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Oregon for the 2023-2024 award period.
- Multidisciplinary treatment: Heart failure can affect many areas of your health, and the most effective care requires a team of experts. With our program, specially trained cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiac ICU staff work together to deliver your treatment.
Leaders in heart failure management: Our team has been leading the way in heart failure care across the region. We were the first system in the Pacific Northwest to earn heart failure accreditation from the American College of Cardiology.
Advanced treatment options: We provide leading-edge treatments, including the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for end-stage heart failure. LVAD is a small device that helps your heart pump blood when the heart fails to do so. We implant this device with a minimally invasive procedure. LVAD is one of the proven treatments to reverse symptoms of heart failure, providing improved quality of life and a longer lifespan.
Comprehensive care: Our program includes a whole-person approach for patients and their families. Social workers, physical therapists, nutritionists and financial advisors support your emotional and logistical needs.
Conditions we treat
Our Advanced Heart Failure and LVAD Program manages a wide range of complex heart conditions, including:
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We treat all types of cardiomyopathies (diseases that affect the heart muscle), including:
- Amyloid cardiomyopathy
- Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC)
- Familial cardiomyopathy
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
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Our specialists care for heart conditions that require the highest level of expertise, including:
- Adult congenital heart disease
- Autoimmune diseases that affect the heart
- Heart disease related to cancer treatment
- Myocarditis
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Sarcoid heart disease
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We have the technology and expertise to care for patients with every type and stage of heart failure, including:
- Heart failure associated with valvular heart disease
- Heart failure related to arrhythmias
- Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
- Right ventricular heart failure
Services we provide
Specialists in our program diagnose and treat any stage of heart failure. We provide compassionate, personalized care for your physical and mental health needs. Our services include:
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An accurate diagnosis of heart failure, including the type and stage, is essential to your treatment plan. Our specialists provide a detailed diagnosis by evaluating your symptoms, health history and physical exam. We may also recommend cardiac imaging tests to collect detailed information about your heart.
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Our team monitors patients with advanced heart failure 24 hours a day, seven days a week using an implantable pulmonary artery sensor. This device, which we implant during a minimally invasive procedure, looks for early signs of worsening heart failure — often before you notice any symptoms. When we address potential problems sooner, treatment often works better. This close monitoring can help you avoid hospitalization and severe complications.
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We empower you to live the healthiest life possible by teaching you about heart failure and how to manage symptoms. Knowing more about your health gives you confidence and peace of mind.
Heart failure requires ongoing care, and we’re here for you at every step. We help you with long-term management of lifestyle changes, including individualized care from our cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation team.
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Your heart failure medications may change over time. Our cardiologists evaluate how well your medications are working and adjust the type and dosage when needed. We answer questions or concerns you have about your medications and share your treatment plan with your other providers.
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In many cases, heart failure occurs with other conditions like cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease or heart valve disease. You might also experience decreased lung function, kidney problems or sleep apnea.
Because our team has a deep understanding of heart failure, we look for these underlying conditions and provide screening. We refer you to other specialists, such as sleep medicine doctors and nephrologists (kidney specialists). We coordinate treatment with them to ensure all your health needs are covered.
If you need a pacemaker or implantable cardiac device, our respected electrophysiologists, interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons can perform the surgery. Our comprehensive approach delivers outstanding care for all your health needs in one place.
Advanced heart failure care
Our Advanced Heart Failure and LVAD Program provides an uncommon level of expertise for patients with later-stage heart failure. Our specialized heart failure cardiologists, nurses, pharmacists and social workers create your personalized treatment plan to improve your quality of life.
Our care for advanced heart failure also includes:
- Genetic testing: Some cases of heart failure can be hereditary. Our genetic testing program helps you and your family members make important treatment decisions.
- Advanced mechanical circulatory support: Mechanical circulatory support helps your heart pump more oxygen-rich blood to your body and can prolong your life. Our specialists are skilled in providing catheter-based and minimally invasive devices, including the intra-aortic balloon pump, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and Impella heart pump. We also provide extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for end-stage heart failure.
The benefits of LVAD
An LVAD can have life-changing benefits for patients with end-stage heart failure. LVADs can help patients who need long-term support or who are waiting for a heart transplant because they:
- Boost organ function: An LVAD can help your brain, liver, kidneys and other organs work better because they get more of the blood they need.
- May prolong life: People with end-stage heart failure who have an LVAD often live longer than people who don’t have this device.
- Relieve symptoms: LVADs can help manage problems like fatigue and shortness of breath.
Our LVAD specialists work closely with patients and their families to prepare you for life with an LVAD. Patients receive a thorough evaluation, education, continuous monitoring and follow-up care.
Care for cardiogenic shock
Cardiogenic shock is often the final stage of advanced heart failure. Survival may be limited to just days or weeks, so prompt treatment is necessary.
Our multidisciplinary team provides comprehensive care for cardiogenic shock to ensure all your needs are met. Patients benefit from the expertise of advanced heart failure specialists, cardiothoracic surgeons, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists and ICU teams. Together, we provide coordinated care that saves lives and improves quality of life.
Contact us
Contact us to learn more about heart failure care or to schedule an appointment.