Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD)
The Heart Centre at St Paul’s Hospital is the only hospital in the province to implant Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs). These devices are used in patients who are candidates for heart transplant who are at extreme risk of dying before a suitable donor heart becomes available. This is called “bridge” to transplant.
Two types of device can be used:
Thoratec Implantable VAD [pdf]
To learn more about these devices, visit www.thoratec.com.
The VAD program started in 2002 and on around 16 of these devices are implanted into critically ill BC patients each year. VADs allow patients to recover to a point where they can exercise and regain enough strength in order to undergo a heart transplant. For more information, visit www.thoratec.com.