UofL Physicians performed the first adult heart transplant in Kentucky at UofL Health – Jewish Hospital in 1984. Since then nearly 600 heart transplants have been performed, thanks to our dedicated, expert multi-disciplinary team approach.
The UofL Health – Advanced Heart Failure Therapies offers every level of treatment for advanced heart failure (HF), including heart transplantation. The program is a leader today and assists transplant candidates with everything from pre-surgery assessments to post-surgery follow-up care to navigating financial concerns.
Heart failure occurs when a heart is unable to keep up with the demands of the body, meaning the body’s demands on the heart outweigh the supply of blood to the body. As heart failure progresses, it causes the heart to weaken and eventually makes everyday activities like walking very difficult.
Early stages of heart failure can be managed with medication and a healthy lifestyle. The condition is considered “advanced” when conventional heart therapies are no longer effective. However, even at this stage, there are still treatment options.
Could you be a candidate for transplant, VAD or Advanced Heart Failure therapies?
To refer a patient or for self-referral to see a transplant specialist, please fill out our contact form or call 502-587-4384.
Advanced Heart Failure Care
Part of UofL Health – Jewish Hospital and UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center, our team in the Advanced Heart Failure Therapies clinic diagnoses heart failure (HF) and determines the best treatment path for each patient based on their individual case. Our clinic has experts in many different areas, including physicians, coordinators, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians and social workers, who come together to help make the process as effective and simple as possible.
We specialize in helping patients with advanced heart failure that are not responsive to standard medical treatment options. Offering a comprehensive treatment approach, which includes medication, device implants such as ventricular assist devices (VADs) or heart transplantation and advanced technology, we are leaders in transplant care and research. With appropriate care and treatments, the progression of heart failure can be stabilized, slowed or even reversed.
Conditions & Treatments
- Cardiac Rehab – medically supervised exercise at our UofL Health – Cardiopulmonary and Cardiac Rehab locations that are designed to improve stamina, activity tolerance and overall physical fitness.
- Lifestyle Modifications
- Smoking/alcohol cessation
- Losing or maintaining weight
- Fluid restriction
- Developing a heart-healthy diet
- Physical activity
- Monitoring blood pressure
- Surgical Procedures
- Ventricular assist device (VAD)
- Heart transplantation
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) – a device placed in the chest or abdomen to help treat irregular heartbeats
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) – a device that resynchronizes contractions of the heart using small electrical impulses
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) – using a catheter to place a stent to open up blood vessels in the heart
- Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) – surgery that improves blood flow to the heart by directing blood around narrowed or clogged arteries
- Valve replacement – Replacing a damaged heart valve with an artificial valve
- Medications
- Beta-blockers
- ACE inhibitors
- Aldosterone antagonists
UofL Health – Heart Hospital, at Jewish Hospital
