What Is Advanced Heart Failure?

Advanced heart failure, sometimes called end-stage heart failure, is a quickly developing field of cardiology with rapid advances in new treatments. If heart failure progresses to persistently severe symptoms despite treatment, it is considered advanced heart failure.

The Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure and Recovery Program employs sophisticated treatments — including more aggressive medication, mechanical pumps like ventricular assist devices, and access to heart transplants — to slow the progress of advanced heart failure and alleviate symptoms.

More patients with advanced heart failure and other heart conditions entrust their care to Norton Heart & Vascular Institute than any other provider in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area. Our board-certified and fellowship-trained cardiologists and other specialists in the Advanced Heart Failure and Recovery Program are at the leading edge of sophisticated treatments.

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LVAD patient Bob Wilson gets a heart transplant and resumes his life

Bob Wilson probably had about six months to live when surgeons implanted a left ventricular assist device and arranged for a heart transplant.

Read Bob's story

What Are the Signs of Advanced Heart Failure?

In addition to severe shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling and reduced exercise capacity, advanced heart failure is characterized by a lack of improvement from medication and other treatments.

Advanced heart failure patients also frequently will have experienced some of the following:

• More than two hospital stays or emergency room visits for heart failure in a year
• Unexplained weight loss without other causes
• Intolerance to ACE inhibitors or beta blockers
• Dressing or bathing persistently requiring rest and causing shortness of breath
• Unable to walk about 100 yards on level ground without fatigue or shortness of breath
• Frequent shocks by a cardioverter-defibrillator

Advanced Heart Failure Treatments

The treatments available to patients with advanced heart failure are expanding rapidly. In the past, a diagnosis of heart failure typically meant making the patient comfortable while they were confined to home or, even worse, to bed. The Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure and Recovery Program offers a new way to look at the management of heart failure. Our goal is to avoid putting you in the hospital. When you need care, we’ll try to get you home the same day. Treatment options for advanced heart failure include:

• Myocardial Recovery Program designed — through a combination of therapies — to rebuild the heart muscle and recover to normal heart function
• Heart failure medication management — Close monitoring paired with a combination of medication therapy to help the heart pump more blood
• Ventricular assist device — Either as a permanent treatment or a bridge to a heart transplant
• Heart transplant

About Norton Heart & Vascular Institute

Norton Heart & Vascular Institute offers advanced care at all of our adult-service hospitals to save hearts and lives.

Awards and Accreditations

• All of Norton Healthcare’s adult-service hospitals in Louisville have received Chest Pain Center accreditation from the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
• Norton Audubon Hospital has been named a HeartCare Center National Distinction of Excellence year after year by the American College of Cardiology. This is the only hospital in Louisville to be recognized for this distinction.
• Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital and Norton Hospital all are recognized as having ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI accreditation.
• Norton Audubon Hospital earned ventricular assist device (VAD) accreditation from DNV and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Leading the Region in Advanced Care

• First in Louisville to implant a dual-chamber leadless pacemaker
• First in Louisville to use PASCAL and MitraClip to replace and repair heart valves
• First health care system in Louisville to offer CathWorks FFRangio System in a minimally invasive procedure used to treat clogged arteries and advance heart disease
• Highest survival rate in the nation for  extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) interventions treating heart failure
• Among the highest survival rates in the nation for treatment of cardiogenic shock in heart failure
• Over 100 transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) procedures performed for heart disease patients
• System with the most facilities across the city of Louisville with the ability treat a life-threatening heart attack
• More than 100 board-certified physicians and advanced practice providers with specialized heart and vascular training and experience at nearly 30 locations in Louisville and Southern Indiana

Comprehensive Heart Care for the Whole Person

Norton Heart & Vascular Institute offers patient resources to support you and your family, including free classes for people of all ages who want to improve cardiovascular health or are living with a heart condition.

• Cardiac rehabilitation: Our cardiac rehabilitation providers are leaders in developing and applying innovative techniques that can help you recover and resume your life.
• Connecting Hearts for Support group: The group provides education and support to individuals who have had a heart attack, are living with a heart condition or are at risk for cardiovascular disease.
• Heart health screenings: Prevention is the best way to manage heart disease, and screenings are available to detect early signs of cardiac and vascular disease and identify risk factors.