Total Artificial Heart Surgery

A total artificial heart (TAH) is a device that replaces the two lower chambers of the heart. These chambers are called ventricles. You may benefit from a TAH if both of your ventricles don’t work due to end- stage heart failure.

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is damaged or weakened and can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. “End stage” means the condition has become so severe that all treatments, except heart transplant, have failed.  

Overview

You may need a TAH for one of two reasons:

• To keep you alive while you wait for a heart transplant

• If you’re not eligible for a heart transplant, but you have end stage heart failure in both ventricles

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Heart Transplants

          A heart transplant is surgery to remove a person’s diseased heart and replace it with a healthy heart from a deceased donor. Ninety percent of heart transplants are done on patients who have end-stage heart failure.

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is damaged or weakened and can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. End-stage means the condition has become so severe that all treatments, other than heart transplant, have failed.

Overview

Heart transplants are done as a life-saving measure for end-stage heart failure when medical treatment and less drastic surgery have failed.

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Carotid Endarterectomy

Carotid endarterectomy, or CEA, is surgery to remove plaque from the carotid arteries. These are the two large arteries on each side of your neck. They supply oxygen-rich blood to your brain.

CEA is used to prevent stroke, or “brain attack,” in people who have carotid artery disease. Carotid artery disease occurs when plaque builds up in the carotid arteries.

Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. Over time, plaque hardens and narrows the arteries. This limits or blocks the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your brain, which can lead to a stroke.

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Getting Back into Your Life after a Heart Attack

How soon can I return to my regular activities?

The amount of activity you can do after a heart attack will be based on the condition of your heart. Your doctor will work with you to develop a recovery plan. Most people can return to work and the activities they enjoy within a few months of having a heart attack. Others may have to limit their activity if the heart muscle is very weak.

You will need to start slowly. For the first few days after your heart attack, you may need to rest and let your heart heal. As your heart heals, you’ll be ready to start moving around again. A few days after your heart attack, your doctor may want you to move around more. You may do stretching exercises and get up and walk. You’ll then slowly become more active based on advice from your doctor.

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Post stroke Rehabilitation

        In the United States more than 700,000 people suffer a stroke each year, and approximately two thirds of these individuals survive and require rehabilitation. The goals of rehabilitation are to help survivors become as independent as possible and to attain the best possible quality of life. Even though rehabilitation does not “cure” stroke in that it does not reverse brain damage, rehabilitation can substantially help people achieve the best possible long-term outcome.

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