LIVING WITH AN LVAD
THE FIRST 8–12 WEEKS AT HOME
In the first eight weeks after an LVAD patient returns home from the hospital or rehab center, he or she will need lots of help from a caregiver. During this time, caregivers help with daily activities like preparing meals, going to the bathroom, and showering.
People with LVADs must not lift anything heavier than 10 pounds during their first eight weeks of recovery at home. And they may not be able to drive for at least 6-12 weeks after the surgery. When or whether a patient can start driving again depends on what his or her doctor recommends.
After the first weeks of recovery at home, patients can typically start resuming daily activities. How much they are able to do depends on how their health is improving and how much they work to be independent.
“The hardest part when you first get home is that you have to rely on someone else a lot. But slowly I got stronger and was able to do things by myself, like make my bed and stand at the stove and cook.”
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LVAD EQUIPMENT AND MAINTENANCE
The LVAD pump is inside the body. The pump must be plugged in to either a wall outlet or batteries that LVAD patients carry. People with LVADs also carry a controller. When they leave the house, patients should carry 2 extra batteries and 1 extra controller.
LVAD patients and their caregivers learn to act on the LVAD's alarms and understand LVAD readings. For example, when LVAD battery life is getting low, the controller beeps loudly.
The LVAD driveline connects the pump inside the body with the controller outside the body. LVAD patients and caregivers learn how to recognize potential problems with the driveline, such as kinking or pulling.
The spot where the driveline leaves the body is called the driveline site. People with an LVAD and their caregivers learn how to change the dressings at the driveline site, which need to be changed very frequently. It's very important to change the dressing correctly each time to decrease the chances of getting a dangerous infection at the driveline site.
Because the LVAD can't get wet, people who have the device can't take a bath or swim. Showering with an LVAD takes special preparations.
If the LVAD stops for a prolonged period, heart failure symptoms would return and the patient would likely die. Because of this, LVAD patients must take two extra batteries and an extra controller with them whenever they leave the house. Patients and caregivers may also have to take special actions to prepare for and deal with emergencies that might disrupt electrical power. For example, they may need to have a backup generator.
WHAT LVAD PATIENTS CAN (AND CAN'T) DO
LVAD patients typically feel better and have more energy once they get past the first weeks of recovery. They may be able to take part in more activities than they could before they got an LVAD.
Keep in mind that every LVAD patient is different. What a patient is able to do after surgery depends on factors like his or her overall health and whether the patient experiences medical complications from the LVAD.
HOW LVAD PATIENTS FEEL EMOTIONALLY
MAINTAINING YOUR HEALTH
LVAD patients also go to regular medical appointments to make sure the device is working right. For the first three months, patients have frequent visits for equipment checks, driveline inspections, blood work, and heart ultrasounds. After that, LVAD clinic visits may occur less often. Talk to your LVAD team about your follow-up schedule.
Patients also do daily health checks, such as recording their vital signs and weight. They take that information with them to medical appointments.
Many patients may have to stay on a heart failure diet, which restricts fluids and salt.
Doctors may ask patients to make other changes so that they can stay as healthy as possible with the LVAD. These can include quitting smoking and losing weight.
THE RISK OF MORE HEALTH PROBLEMS
Talk with your healthcare team about how your age, your overall health, and other factors may affect whether you would experience any of these problems with the LVAD.