Heart Failure Program

The Region’s Leading Heart Failure Specialists

We know that having heart failure can be overwhelming. At UMass Memorial Health, a compassionate team helps you understand heart failure and how to manage it. We work with you to select the treatments that can help you lead a fuller life.

Our board-certified cardiologists have specialized expertise in all stages of heart failure and are fellowship-trained in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology. We offer catheter-guided treatments, surgery, mechanical circulatory support and follow-up care after heart transplantation.

We are also the region’s only ventricular assist device (VAD) program. A VAD helps your heart pump blood. People with late-stage heart failure who are waiting for a heart transplant or are too sick for surgery don’t have to travel far for this lifesaving device.

What Is Heart Failure?

Your heart is a muscle that pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. When you have heart failure, your heart can’t pump blood as well as it should. Your cells don’t get enough blood and oxygen, so you might feel tired, short of breath or unable to do everyday activities.

Heart failure is a serious condition that can lead to kidney or liver damage, an irregular heartbeat or even cardiac arrest (sudden loss of heart function). Treatment is most effective when heart failure is in its early stages.

Our Approach to Heart Failure Treatment

Our Heart Failure Program offers:

• Medication: Medications relax blood vessels and open narrowed arteries to take pressure off your heart and ease heart failure symptoms.
• Implanted devices: An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a device we put in your chest to control your heart rhythm.
• Cardiac rehabilitation: Our cardiac rehab programs help you regain heart function and endurance after surgery or a heart attack.
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT): An electrophysiologist inserts a biventricular pacemaker that coordinates your left- and right-side heartbeats.
• Heart surgery: Depending on the cause of heart failure, we may recommend heart valve surgery, coronary artery bypass graft surgery or another procedure.
• Ventricular assist device (VAD): A VAD is a surgically implanted device that helps your heart pump blood if you have advanced heart failure.
• Heart transplant evaluation: We select the right candidates for heart transplantation and refer them to Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
• Post-transplant care Our cardiologists provide comprehensive follow-up care, testing and medication management after heart transplantation.

Keeping You at Home, not in the Hospital

When you have heart failure, you want to spend time enjoying life. Our unique services help keep you out of the hospital while still providing the care you need:

• CardioMEMS™ HF System: A small sensor placed inside your pulmonary artery alerts your doctor if the pressure in your lungs increases, a sign of heart failure getting worse. Your provider adjusts your medication as needed, without you ever leaving home.
• Hospital at Home: UMass Memorial Health’s Hospital at Home offers several convenient services to keep you safe and comfortable at home. These include telemedicine appointments, in-home nursing visits, remote patient monitoring and medication delivery.
• Mobile Integrated Health (MIH): MIH offers telehealth visits with emergency medicine physicians and in-home visits from specially trained paramedics. This unique service can help people with heart failure avoid unnecessary hospitalization.

Recognized Expertise in Heart Failure

Our heart failure program at UMass Memorial Medical Center is nationally recognized as High-Performing by U.S. News & World Report. We also have The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for our ventricular assist device program. These accolades demonstrate our commitment to exceptional patient care.