What Are The Differences Between An LVAD And The TAH?

Being a part of the cardiology treatment in India, the Total Artificial Heart (TAH) is a type of mechanical circulatory support during which the native ventricles and valves of the patient are explanted and replaced by an artificial heart that is pneumatically backed up. These days, TAH is recommended for utilization in end-age biventricular heart failure that is a way to improve heart transplantation. Nonetheless, with an increase in the number of cardiovascular diseases on the global level and congestive heart failure as well, the total number of patients looking for a heart transplant in India due to end-stage heart failure is way over the number of hearts available. As a consequence, the utilization of mechanical circulatory support including the Total Artificial Heart and left ventricular assist device (LAVD) is growing tremendously. The LVAD is already being used as destination therapy and destination therapy for Total Artificial Heart is undergoing research. While most of the patients needing mechanical circulatory support for their heart are effectively treated with LVADs, there is still a section of patients suffering from concurrent right ventricular failure or have structural barriers to LVAD placement for whom TAH is more appropriate.

The best cardiologists in India are using Mechanical Circulatory support including the total artificial heart and its commonly used counterpart the LAVD, which plays an important and ever-growing role in taking care of patients with end-stage heart failure. The cases of Heart failure are increasing all over the world and even the number of cardiovascular deaths is increasing each day with the aging population and is responsible for around one-third of all the deaths. Although considered as the standard treatment for the treatment of end-stage heart failure, top heart transplant hospitals in India are able to meet a very small part of heart transplantation. Approximately forty percent of the patients receiving heart transplantation are connected with mechanical circulatory support. A great part of patients with end-stage heart failure can be properly treated with isolated LVAD support. But there is a small part of the patient community with profound biventricular dysfunction or other severe structural abnormalities which carries a greater risk of unfavorable outcomes that come along with LVAD implantation. TAH has become a vital therapeutic option for such patients.

What is an LVAD?

An LVAD is a mechanical pump that is implantable and attached directly to the heart of the patient. In cardiology treatment in India, this pump is designed to assist or in some complicated cases, handles the pumping function of the left ventricle. This device is basically installed in the abdomen, which is located just below the diaphragm, pumps blood from the left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of the heart) to the aorta (the main artery that carries oxygenated blood to the body). There is also an externally wearable system that is inclusive of a controller and two batteries are attached to it through an external wire called a driveline. A majority of the LVAD patients are let go from the hospitals once they have recovered from the heart transplant surgery and are able to restart their usual activities and hobbies in their regular life. LVADs are being used to act as a bridge to transplant, destination therapy depending upon the kind of LVAD being utilized and the medical requirements or needs of the patient receiving it.

What is the Total Artificial Heart?

When it comes to the TAH, you must know it is an implantable device that is used to replace both the right and left ventricles along with the four heart valves, and installed on the place of the removed, dysfunctional human heart. The TAH is employed in those patients who are dealing with end-stage heart failure that is being both sides of the heart (biventricular failure). All those TAH patients who are stable and fulfill the discharge criteria are able to get discharged from the hospital and lead an active lifestyle at home with their loved ones. The TAH patients can conduct hiking, cycling, fishing, dancing, returning to work, and more.

Vanya Health:

As an independent company catering to medical tourism services in India, Vanya Health is all about making it easy for patients to receive a heart transplant in India. It not only connects you with the top heart transplant hospitals in India based on your budget, but it also provides the ultimate consultation for their patient to reach out to the best cardiologists here. Once the patient finds a suitable institution for their transplant, they are also assisted in finding available hearts for transplant from the donors. They also take care of the after-care consultation, recovery time, and help the patients to get an effective treatment without going overboard with the budget.