Severely incapacitated patients may be offered a ventricular assist device (VAD) most usually whilst waiting for heart transplantation.
A patient may have a Right Ventricular Assist Device, Left Ventricular Assist Device or a BiVAD as is necessary.
A left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, is a mechanical pump implanted inside the chest to act as a circulatory support
The LVAD acts like a left ventricle but doesn't replace it
Any type of VAD is essentially a booster pump
For the left ventricular this pump assistance will improve stroke volume and therefore cardiac output
