Deciding Together
An informative website to help you and your family make choices about an LVAD and your end-stage heart failure
Your Decision Starts Here
You’re facing a big decision right now. It will affect the rest of your life.
If your heart is failing, it will most likely become weaker, resulting in a backup of fluid into your lungs and decreased blood flow to the rest of your body. Your healthcare team may have recommended an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) as an option for you. You have to decide whether to have surgery to get an LVAD or to continue to manage your heart failure with medication. Both options have risks, benefits, and challenges. There is a choice that’s right for you and the people close to you.
Talk about your options with your loved ones and with your medical team. This website can help you with those conversations. It will give you the facts you need to make an informed decision.
Heart failure is not any one thing; rather, it is a group of worrisome signs. People arrive at end-stage heart failure in different ways. Learn more about heart failure.
LVAD stands for Left Ventricular Assist Device. An LVAD helps the heart pump blood through the body. Learn more about the LVAD and surgery preparation.
People make different choices about whether to get an LVAD. No single option is right for everyone. Learn more and make an informed decision.
Life with an LVAD looks different for every patient, and it changes over time. Learn more about living with an LVAD.
If your loved one decides to get an LVAD, it will mean big changes in both of your lives. Read more about caring for someone with an LVAD.
“I know I’m going to keep my strength up to come out strong.”
Phillip, LVAD Patient
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