Heart Failure and Transplantation Medicine

More than 5.7 million people live with heart failure in America. In the early stages, the disease can be managed with a combination of medication and a healthier lifestyle. As time progresses, however, treatment becomes more complex. Patients from around the world have sought care from the nationally renowned team at Ochsner. Here, in the largest program for advanced heart failure treatment in the Gulf South, patients receive the latest treatment options and personalized care.

At Ochsner, you don’t fight heart failure alone. Our multi-disciplinary team is comprised of the region’s most passionate and experienced transplant cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, nurse practitioners, nurse coordinators, social workers, pharmacists and dieticians. Your referring physician also continues to be an important part of your team.

Ochsner provides comprehensive management of all stages of congestive heart failure. We offer a complete array of innovative technologies, including surgical and percutaneous implantable mechanical support, implantable hemodynamic monitoring, biventricular pacing, ultrafiltration and novel drug therapies.

You’ll benefit from a customized treatment plan that addresses not just your physical needs but your mental and emotional ones. Open access clinics, telemanagement, nutrition counseling and social services help you achieve your goals.

Comprehensive services include:

Invasive and non-invasive diagnostic procedures
Inotrope support
Electrophysiology therapy
Short- and long-term mechanical circulatory support devices
Cutting-edge surgical procedures
Innovative cardiac rehabilitation
Ongoing disease management education in both inpatient and outpatient settings
Heart Transplant

With great experience comes greater outcomes. Ochsner’s Cardiomyopathy and Heart Transplant Program is the only Medicare-approved heart transplant program in Louisiana, performing over 20 heart transplants per year. Since 1970, when the first heart transplant in the Gulf South region was performed at Ochsner, more than 950 patients have undergone the procedure at Ochsner.

Learn more about Heart Transplants at Ochsner

Until recently, patients with amyloidosis had to go outside the Gulf South for treatment. Today, you can receive care right here at Ochsner. This exciting program allows for rapid diagnosis, multidisciplinary management and new therapies for treating different types of amyloidosis, especially amyloid cardiomyopathy and advanced heart failure.

Click here to learn more about the Cardiac Amyloidosis Program.

With national heart transplant wait times ranging from days to years, many patients look to Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) as a bridge to transplantation. LVADs are also used to help your heart work better if you are not eligible for a heart transplant, also known as destination therapy (DT). MCS devices, also known as Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) or Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs), support heart function and blood flow. Here in Louisiana, no one has implanted more of these life-saving devices than The John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute at Ochsner Medical Center – Jefferson Highway.

Schedule an Appointment Today
To make an appointment with our Heart Failure and Transplant Department, call 504-842-4721. You can also request an appointment through MyOchsner.

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Pulmonary hypertension may also lead to heart failure. Our team actively participates in research and clinical trials offering a wide range of innovative and investigational treatments. Options include oral, inhaled, subcutaneous and intravenous therapies, as well as lung transplantation for advanced disease.

Experienced coordinators provide ongoing patient care through nurse-led support groups and clinic-based education sessions.

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