MUSC’s Heart & Vascular Center is the first and only medical center in South Carolina to offer the Thoratec^® HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) as a treatment option for advanced-stage heart failure patients.  As the state’s only transplant center and most advanced heart and vascular center, MUSC was selected to offer the revolutionary mechanical circulatory support therapy as a bridge-to-transplant treatment option following FDA approval of HeartMate II in 2008.

HeartMate II at a Glance
HeartMate II is the latest FDA-approved LVAD for the purpose of providing a bridge to transplant.

• It is smaller than previously approved LVADs
• Intended for a broad range of advanced-stage heart failure patients, including women
• The device can pump up to 10 liters of blood per minute, covering the full output of a healthy heart
• It is implanted alongside a patient’s native heart and takes over the pumping ability of the weakened heart’s left ventricle.
• HeartMate II is easier to implant than previous devices, and with only one moving part
• It is designed to provide exceptional reliability and improved quality of life for patients.
• The device is designed to have a much longer functional life than the previous generation of LVADs and to operate more simply and quietly

The HeartMate II currently is in clinical trial for use as Destination Therapy for advanced heart failure patients who are ineligible for cardiac transplantation.