What Is a Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)?

“So is it an artificial heart?” That's usually the first question, and the short answer is no — an LVAD doesn't replace your heart at all. It sits alongside it and does part of its work. The short video at the top of this page, “What is Left Ventricular Assist Device?” (about a minute and a half), puts it plainly: a ventricular assist device, also called a mechanical circulatory support device, is an implantable mechanical pump that helps move blood from the heart's lower chambers — the ventricles — out to the rest of the body. This article walks through the questions that tend to come next.

Which part of the heart does it help?

The left ventricle, in the case of an LVAD — the “L” is for left. That's the chamber that does the heavy lifting, pushing oxygen-rich blood into the aorta and around the body. When advanced heart failure weakens that chamber, it can't keep up, and blood backs up while organs get less than they need. An LVAD takes blood from that struggling left ventricle and helps drive it forward, so the circulation gets support rather than a replacement. Devices can also be made for the right side, or for both sides, but the left-sided version is by far the most common, and it's the one this page is about.

How does the pump actually move the blood?

Think of it as a small, continuously working pump rather than a squeezing heart. Blood enters the device from the tip — the apex — of the left ventricle, passes through the pump, and is returned to the aorta through a tube, so flow continues around the body. The longer video on this page, “How The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) Works” (about 23 minutes), goes into the surgical side in detail: it explains that individual surgeons and centres use different methods to insert the device, but the fundamental concepts stay the same, and that most devices are connected at the apex of the left ventricle. Because the pump sits inside the chest but needs power and a controller outside it, a cable — the driveline — passes through the skin of the abdomen to connect the two.

Why might someone be offered one?

Broadly, for two reasons, and your team will be clear about which applies to you. For some people an LVAD is a bridge: it keeps the circulation supported while they wait for a donor heart, in the same overall journey our guide to heart transplant describes. For others, where a transplant isn't an option, the device itself is the longer-term treatment — sometimes called destination therapy. Either way, this isn't a decision made from a scan alone. It follows specialist assessment of how advanced the heart failure is, how the rest of the body is coping, and whether the person and their family can manage the daily care the device needs. This article deliberately doesn't list who qualifies — that judgement belongs to a specialist heart-failure team, not a web page.

What does living with one involve, day to day?

This is the part people underestimate, so it's worth being straightforward about it. The external controller and batteries have to be carried at all times, and batteries are swapped and recharged on a routine. The spot where the driveline leaves the abdomen needs regular, careful dressing care to lower the risk of infection, and most centres train a family member or carer alongside the patient before discharge. Follow-up is close and ongoing, with regular checks of the device and the heart. None of that is meant to put you off — many people describe feeling markedly less breathless once their circulation is properly supported — but an LVAD is a commitment you live with every day, not a fit-and-forget operation, and good centres make sure you understand that before, not after, surgery.

References & further reading

• MedlinePlus — Ventricular assist device (Medical Encyclopedia): https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007268.htm
• MedlinePlus — Heart Failure: https://medlineplus.gov/heartfailure.html
• MedlinePlus — Heart Transplantation: https://medlineplus.gov/hearttransplantation.html

MedicalVideos.com has published trusted medical videos since 2007. The site was founded by Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, MD, PhD — physician-scientist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an LVAD the same as an artificial heart?

No. An LVAD doesn't remove or replace your heart. As the video at the top of this page explains, it's an implantable mechanical pump that helps your own ventricles move blood to the rest of the body — your heart is still there and still working, just with support.

Where does the pump sit, and what will I see from outside?

The pump itself sits inside the chest, connected at the apex of the left ventricle. From outside, what you see is the driveline — a cable that passes through the skin of the abdomen — plus the external controller and batteries that power the device and are carried with you.

Can an LVAD be temporary?

It can be a bridge to a transplant, supporting the circulation while a person waits for a donor heart. It can also be used as longer-term treatment in its own right when a transplant isn't an option. Which role it plays is decided by the specialist team and discussed with you in advance.

What is the driveline, and why does it need so much care?

The driveline is the cable linking the implanted pump to its outside controller and power supply. Because it passes through the skin, the exit site needs regular careful dressing care to reduce infection risk — centres train patients and a carer in that routine before discharge.

Does everyone with heart failure get offered an LVAD?

No, and this article doesn't set out criteria. LVADs are for advanced heart failure assessed by a specialist team, who weigh the state of the heart, the rest of the body, and whether the daily care the device requires can be managed at home.

Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, MD, PhD

Physician-scientist · Founder, MedicalVideos.com

Dr. Ibrahim founded MedicalVideos.com in 2007 to make medical and surgical education freely accessible to students, clinicians, and patients.

Last reviewed: 11/10/26

This article is for general education only and is not medical advice. It does not replace consultation with a qualified clinician. Whether a ventricular assist device is appropriate for you can only be decided by your own specialist heart-failure team after full assessment.