Infirmary Celebrates the Success of First LVAD Procedure

A reception was held for Donnie Sims, the Infirmary’s first left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patient, on Thursday, April 27, for being discharged after a 10-day hospital stay following surgery.

His physicians, Dr. Thurston Bauer and Dr. Muhammad Waqas, and the entire care team joined in the celebration.

This was the Infirmary Heart Failure team’s first LVAD implementation after many months of planning, training and preparing. The device serves this first patient as a bridge to transplant.

Having a mechanical assist device program allows CHI St. Vincent to offer advanced heart therapies.

This gives  hope to the community we serve,  both by bridge to transplant or destination therapy, as they do not meet the requirements for transplant at time of implant. This is truly a milestone for the organization.

Learn more about our Heart Failure program and meet our physicians who are leading these advances.

#CHIPraiseandCelebration