California Pacific Medical Center has been designated one of eighteen Heart Hope Centers nationwide by Thoratec Corporation and the only Heart Hope Center in Northern California.

The Heart Hope initiative is a collaborative between Thoratec and leading heart centers committed to advancing clinical outcomes associated with mechanical circulatory assist devices and other advanced therapies in the treatment of heart failure. As a Heart Hope Center, California Pacific is committed to offering the latest in technology for treating heart failure. Thoratec’s HeartMate XVE is the only left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that is FDA approved for Destination Therapy and had been used at California Pacific as a bridge-to-transplant therapy for patients waiting a donor organ. Now approved as Destination Therapy for end-stage heart failure patients who are not eligible for heart transplant, HeartMate® is the only implantable long-term LVAD designed to take over the pumping function of the heart. The HeartMate® LVAD is a fist-sized device using titanium parts that do not destroy blood cells. The inner surface of the device become lined with the patient's own endothelial cells as blood flows through it allowing for long-term usage.

What it takes to be a Heart Hope Center?

Thoratec partnered with each Heart Hope Center based on a number of criteria that included:

Leadership in education, research and treatment of heart disease.

Dedicated credentialed team of physicians, nurses and support staff.

Ventricular assist device (VAD) experience and outstanding clinical outcomes.

Hospital’s methods for monitoring and evaluation care.

Additionally, each Heart Hope Center must meet the strict criteria for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for Destination Therapy and participates in a national registry to benchmark clinical outcomes.

Go to the Heart Hope web site for information on Heart Hope Centers. Go to the Thoratec web site for more information on HeartMate.

Images reprinted with permission from Thoratec Corporation.