It’s surgically implanted just below the heart. One end is attached to the left ventricle -- that's the chamber of the heart that pumps blood out of the heart and into the body. The other end is... How does a left ventricular assist device work? A left ventricular assist device works by pumping blood from your left ventricle to your aorta. Your aorta is the large artery that takes blood from your heart to the rest of your body. A surgeon implants the left ventricular assist device’s pump unit at the bottom of your heart inside your chest. We surgically implant the LVAD, a battery-operated, mechanical pump, which then helps the left ventricle (main pumping chamber of the heart) pump blood to the rest of the body. A HeartMate 3 LVAD, or Left Ventricular Assist Device, is a mechanical pump that's surgically implanted in the chest to help patients with severe heart failure increase blood flow, thus decreasing the symptoms of heart failure. LVAD implantation: The LVAD is implanted via median sternotomy or thoracotomy. The inflow cannula is placed into the left ventricle, and the outflow graft connects to the aorta. LVAD implant is one of the most technically simple, yet complex operation to perform. Here, we describe our multimodal approach to training residents and fellows to perform a LVAD implant. The anticipated further growth in LVAD therapy necessitates that training programs offer an educational curriculum that provides residents a comprehensive understanding of their use, engineering design, surgical implantation techniques, and patient management. If you have advanced heart failure, you may need a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). An LVAD is surgically implanted in the heart and takes over the work of the left ventricle, one of the heart’s two lower chambers. Step-by-Step LVAD Implantation Procedure LVAD implantation is major open-heart surgery typically lasting 4-8 hours. Here's what to expect: Anesthesia: You'll receive general anesthesia and be placed on a heart-lung machine (bypass) during the procedure. Preparation for LVAD implantation begins well before the day of surgery. In the best circumstances, patients are undergoing an outpatient evaluation, and once their workup is complete they are presented in a multidisciplinary meeting for final acceptance.