Heart Failure Procedures

A variety of different replacement valves can be used: a mechanical valve made from metal and plastic, one made from human or animal tissue. Read more about aortic and mitral valve repair and replacement.

A small tube - a catheter - with a tiny deflated balloon on the end is inserted through an incision in the groin area and pushed through to the diseased artery. Then the balloon is inflated to push open the artery. The balloon is removed once the artery has been fully opened. A stent may be placed during the procedure to keep the blood vessel open. 

Coronary artery bypass surgery reroutes the blood supply around a blocked section of the artery. During this procedure, surgeons remove healthy blood vessels from another part of the body then surgically attach the vessels to the diseased artery in such a way that the blood can flow around the blocked section.

These devices are surgically placed and deliver pacing, or an electric countershock, to the heart when a life-threatening abnormal rhythm is detected.

The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a mechanical pump-type device that's surgically implanted. It helps maintain the pumping ability of a heart unable to effectively work on its own. This device is sometimes referred to as a "bridge to transplant."