–LVAD deactivation is not euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are used increasingly as destination therapy instead of as a temporary bridge until a donor heart becomes available for transplantation. Now patients, their families, and their caregivers are forced to confront the extremely difficult question of when and how to turn off…
Last Beats of the Failing Heart — Two Views
May 30, 2017 by 1 Comment
–Milton Packer and Richard Lehman compare perspectives, Part 3 Editor’s note: This is the third installment of an ongoing discussion about heart failure (HF) between Milton PackerMD, who has been leading major heart failure clinical trials for decades, and Richard Lehman, MA, BM, BCh, MRCGP, a retired U.K. GP who writes a blog for the…
LVADs Prolong Life But Sow Confusion
March 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment
–Patients with LVADs and their caregivers suffer from confusion and uncertainty at the end of life. More and more people with advanced heart failure are receiving left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as destination therapy. Now clinicians who treat these patients are reporting that the patients and their caregivers are suffering from an extraordinary amount of…
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