Understanding Advanced Heart Failure and Ventricular Assist Devices

Heart failure is a chronic health problem. It’s a gradual weakening of the heart. It’s when your heart can no longer pump the amount of blood your body needs to work properly. Heart failure can affect the right, left, or both ventricles of your heart.

If the right ventricle of your heart is failing, your heart may have trouble filling up with enough blood. If the left ventricle is weak, your heart may not empty completely when it pushes blood out to the rest of your body. In either case, a ventricular assist device (VAD) can support one or both of your ventricles. It can help your heart pump blood throughout your body.

Heart failure happens over time. In its early stages, your heart may be weaker. But it may not be weak enough to cause any symptoms. As the condition worsens, or advances, though, you may start to suffer from tiredness (fatigue) and shortness of breath. These symptoms may occur only while exercising or doing activities such as climbing stairs.

Lifestyle changes and medicine can often help ease the symptoms of heart failure. You may feel better for a time. But your heart may continue to weaken and you may develop advanced heart failure. That’s when you have symptoms even at rest. 

What are the symptoms of advanced heart failure?

In advanced heart failure, daily activities like dressing may become hard to do. You may feel extreme fatigue. You may also have swelling in your legs, ankles, feet, and belly (abdomen). Swelling happens because fluid builds up in your body.

Other symptoms of advanced heart failure include:

• Trouble breathing while sleeping

• Chest congestion

• Weight gain from fluid buildup

• Weight loss from a lack of appetite

• Chest pain

• Lightheadedness

• Heart palpitations or flutters

• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)

• Depression