How Do You Live and Care for Yourself With an LVAD?

Living with an LVAD means the device remains powered around the clock, the driveline exit site is cleaned daily, and warning signs are never ignored. Medication and follow-up appointments also run on a fixed schedule. The routine comes down to three essentials: the driveline, the batteries, and recognising problems early.

According to Dr. Vishal Khullar, an experienced Heart Transplant Surgeon in Mumbai, while the pump performs the central function, it is the driveline exit site that most often determines whether a patient remains well or requires readmission. 

Certain symptoms indicate a problem with the pump or the patient and require immediate medical attention. 

Site infection: Redness, swelling, warmth, or any discharge around the driveline exit. Spot it early, before it works its way inward.

Bleeding: Bruising that shows up out of nowhere, blood in stool or urine, a nosebleed that just won’t quit. Blood thinners turn this into a genuine risk.

Pump alarms:That controller alarm isn’t background noise to tune out. Low flow, low battery, whatever it flags, you act on it.

Stroke symptoms: Sudden weakness, slurred words, trouble seeing. Clots can travel up to the brain, so this is an emergency, full stop.

But knowing the signs is half of it. Most LVAD patients are managing advanced heart failure, so acting fast matters.

Dr. Vishal Khullar is the Director of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Heart & Lung Transplant at Fortis Hospital Mulund and Fortis S L Raheja Hospital, Mumbai. He’s spent over 30 years in the field, trained at Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic in the USA, and been part of more than 300 heart and lung transplants along with ventricular assist device procedures.

His transplant assessments don’t drag. Patients hear early whether listing is realistic instead of sitting in limbo for weeks. No false hope, just the medical truth.

1. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart-treatments-procedures
2. WHO – Cardiovascular Diseases