Recent Blog Articles
Improving access to hearing aids
Can mindfulness change your brain?
Five lifestyle factors that can help prevent gastroesophageal reflux disease
Transient ischemic attacks: Varied symptoms, all important
5 inflammation-fighting food swaps
Is IBD an underrecognized health problem in minority groups?
Sickle cell disease in newborns and children: What families should know and do
COVID-19 vaccines for children and teens: What we do — and don’t — know
Happy trails: Take a hike, now
Sleep well — and reduce your risk of dementia and death
Mechanical assist for heart failure
Mechanical assist for heart failure
Left ventricular assist devices offer a new lease on life for some people with severe heart failure.
In the spring of 2000, Peter Houghton's heart had reached the end of the line. Ravaged by a heart attack brought on by a viral infection, it wasn't strong enough to pump as much blood as his body needed. Given six weeks to live, the 61-year-old hospital psychotherapist was saying his goodbyes when doctors offered him the chance to try a new invention — a thumb-sized pump called a left ventricular assist device. This titanium turbine would take over the work of his failing left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber. It was a venture into the unknown. Houghton wasn't a candidate for a heart transplant, and his doctors couldn't promise he would survive with the device or predict how long it would work.
To continue reading this article, you must log in.
Subscribe to Harvard Health Online for immediate access to health news and information from Harvard Medical School.
- Research health conditions
- Check your symptoms
- Prepare for a doctor's visit or test
- Find the best treatments and procedures for you
- Explore options for better nutrition and exercise
I'd like to receive access to Harvard Health Online for only $4.99 a month.
Sign Me UpAlready a member? Login ».
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.