Left Ventricular Reconstruction for Congestive Heart Failure
Robert F. Tranbaugh, MD

Congestive heart failure is a condition due to poor function of the heart. Worsening symptoms of shortness of breath and lack of energy can seriously impact quality of life over time. More than 5 million Americans suffer from this debilitating disease. Heart failure primarily occurs when the heart is weakened or damaged by a heart attack. Other causes include high blood pressure, diabetes, alcohol abuse and infections.

If an individual has a heart attack that occurs in the left ventricle, scar tissue may form and weaken the wall of the ventricle, causing it to bulge. Over time, this bulge forces the heart to work harder to pump blood, causing the left ventricle to enlarge. Sometimes it pumps so inefficiently, the blood backs up and overflows into the lungs. In other cases, heart failure puts patients at a higher risk for abnormal heart rhythms that increase the risk of sudden death.

The Division of Cardiac Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center, in conjunction with our Heart Failure Program, offers an innovative new treatment option that can help reverse the symptoms of congestive heart failure. Left Ventricular Reconstruction, or LVR, can reduce many of the symptoms of congestive heart failure and give patients a better quality of life.

Reconstruction Reduces Risk
Many people live for years with mild symptoms of heart failure by simply taking medication. While medication helps reduce the symptoms, it does not eliminate the underlying disease. Congestive heart failure is progressive. So even if you feel fine today, your heart condition will get worse over time, and could cause you to suffer complete pump failure. Left ventricular reconstruction can help reduce this risk.

Left ventricular reconstruction can help you:

• Have a better quality of life
• Be more energetic
• Resume an active lifestyle

Reconstruction Reverses Damage
Recent advances in heart resizing devices have resulted in breakthroughs like the innovative Blue Egg Sizer™ from BioVentrix. During a left ventricular reconstruction procedure, the patient's enlarged left ventricle is reconstructed using the Blue Egg Sizer to ensure the ventricle is restored to its correct size and orientation. Once reconstructed, the heart can resume better pumping function, enabling the patient to resume most normal activities. This procedure should be performed by a heart surgeon who is highly trained in left ventricular reconstruction. Left ventricular reconstruction has been a safe and effective treatment for thousands of heart failure patients. After receiving left ventricular reconstruction, the average patient experiences less congestion and has more energy which helps them feel better than before the procedure.

Is Left Ventricular Reconstruction Right For You?
If you can answer yes to one or more of the following questions, left ventricular reconstruction may help you get your life back again.

1. Have you had a heart attack?
2. Are you currently on medication for congestive heart failure yet are still unable to resume your previous lifestyle?
3. Have you had stents or Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery and still continue to suffer from a reduced quality of life?
4. Is your quality of life limited by heart failure symptoms, such as breathlessness and fatigue when walking, gardening, or carrying out other mild physical activities?
5. Has your ejection fraction been measured? If so, is it less than 40%?

To schedule a consultation for left ventricular reconstruction, call (212) 420-2584.

Beth Israel Medical Center
Division of Cardiac Surgery
317 E. 17th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10003
(212) 420-2584