Quality & Outcomes
Treatment at Every Stage of Heart Failure
The Penn heart failure and transplantation program is among the largest in the country. Penn is following more than 3,500 heart failure patients and more than 639 heart transplant patients. Penn offers a wide range of preventive, diagnostic, medical and surgical options to address the pathology of cardiovascular disease. These include advanced programs for patients at every stage of heart failure, including end-stage disease.
Penn is nationally recognized as a leader in the design and implementation of next generation cardiovascular devices.
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center are accredited by the Joint commission with the Advanced Certification in Ventricular Assist Devices.
Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) for End-Stage Heart Failure
In the United States, there are far fewer hearts available for transplantation than patients living with end-stage heart failure. To offer options to these gravely ill patients, Penn Medicine has become a national leader in the development and use of ventricular assist devices (VADs).
VADs permit several approaches to treatment as:
- Bridge-to-transplant therapy, VADs enable patients to survive until a donor heart becomes available.
- Destination therapy, VADs offer life-long support for the failing heart.
- Bridge-to-recovery, VADs used to "rest" the native heart over a period of weeks to months, and is then removed. This holds the promise of permitting other treatments to restore the native heart to full function, avoiding the need for transplant.
Treatment of End-Stage Heart Failure CY 2008 - CY 2012
| CY 2008 | CY 2009 | CY 2010 | CY 2011 | CY 2012 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destination VAD | 10 | 18 | 14 | 18 | 32 |
| VADS as Bridge to Transplant | 22 | 44 | 16 | 26 | 10 |
| Total VADS Per Year | 50 | 67 | 44 | 53 | 50 |
| Transplants | 51 | 44 | 62 | 59 | 42 |
2012 Penn Heart Failure Clinical Activity Report
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