Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Patient Stories

Every day, our heart and vascular health care team makes a difference in the lives of our patients.

The stories below profile some of the patients who came to UPMC for heart and vascular care.

Note: These patients' treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.

Bill V: Heart Failure

When Bill began to experience shortness of breath, he turned to the experts at UPMC for care. They implanted a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that helped Bill return to normalcy.

Read Bill V's story

Heather Blum: Heart Arrhythmia

HVI patient Heather Blum and her daughter | LVAD Patient Story

Heather felt weak when doctors found she had a heart arrhythmia. A left ventricle assist device implant helped her heart regain strength.

Read Heather Blum's story

Amanda Goehring: Myocarditis Patient Story

Amanda Goehring - Chronic Coronary Total Occlusion Patient Story

While on an artificial heart pump and waiting for a transplant, Amanda's heart recovered so that she could avoid transplantation.

Read Amanda Goehring's story