Hershey

Event brings together patients living with heart assist devices

Ten patients living with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) attended a reunion at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center on Friday, April 1. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

HERSHEY, Pa. — Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center hosted a celebration for several patients with something in common: They’re all living with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). An LVAD takes the place of a person’s left ventricle and helps the heart pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.

Those present at the LVAD Celebration on April 1 at the medical center included patients who have received the device as a “bridge to transplant” as they await a human heart and those for whom it is a “destination therapy.” Dozens of people, including 10 patients, attended the event at the University Fitness and Conference Center.

Currently, the medical center has 78 active LVAD patients.

Last Updated April 4, 2016

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