LVAD - Who Needs it?

LVAD – Who Needs It? Guest: Andrew (Drew) N. Rosenbaum, M.D. (@werDrD) Host: Malcolm R. Bell, M.D. About 6.5 million people over the age of 20 years in the U.S. have heart failure. That number is estimated to grow to about 8 million by 2030. Of those patients, about 300,000 would potentially benefit from left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy. Among patients with advanced heart failure, 66% to 75% would have comorbidities that would preclude benefit from LVAD therapy, so approximately 75,000 to 100,000 patients in the U.S. would be potentially eligible for LVAD therapy. Joining us today to discuss LVADs is Andrew (Drew) N. Rosenbaum, M.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Specific topics discussed: Types of left ventricular assist devices: durable, destination therapy, bridge to transplantation Who benefits from LVAD and why LVAD durability Age limitations for LVAD therapy Inappropriate candidates for LVAD End-stage renal disease, LVAD and dialysis When to consider referral for LVAD therapy Connect with Mayo Clinic's Cardiovascular Continuing Medical Education online at https://cveducation.mayo.edu or on Twitter @MayoClinicCV. No CME credit offered for this episode. Podcast episode transcript found here.