If you or a loved one has advanced heart failure, you want to have confidence in your team. At the Heart Specialty Care and Transplant Center, we combine leading surgical care for heart disease and heart failure. Your heart care starts when you meet with cardiovascular specialists who have the expertise to diagnose, treat and manage advanced heart failure. Together, a team of doctors dedicated to you provides advanced therapeutic and surgical heart and vascular care with the goal of helping you get you back to your life and restoring hope in your future.
Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin has a Joint Commission certification for a Destination Therapy Ventricular Assist Device Program and Heart Transplant certification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Advanced heart care that is right for you
To make sure a heart transplant or ventricular assist device (VAD) is right for you, we start with an evaluation and by listening to better understand you and your health. You will have a health evaluation that may include a series of tests and a review by our care team. Through the evaluation process, you will have a nurse navigator to answer your questions and help guide you through each step. Your care team will work together with you to determine the right treatment for you. Your care plan may include a VAD, a transplant or therapies to help manage your heart failure. In some cases, a VAD may be needed before a transplant. Patients with advanced heart failure have access to leading care for both short-term and long-term treatments when visiting our dedicated care teams.
Ventricular assist device (VAD) for heart failure
If you are diagnosed with advanced heart failure, you may need a VAD. A ventricular assist device helps your heart temporarily or permanently pump blood throughout your body. A VAD may be recommended by your doctor if you are recovering from surgery, awaiting a heart transplant or unable to receive a heart transplant.
Receiving a VAD requires an open-heart surgery and patients typically stay in the hospital for multiple days following the procedure. After your surgery, your care team works with you and your caregivers to help you have an easier transition to your home. Some patients receive a VAD when they are not candidates for a heart transplant while others receive it while they wait for a heart transplant.
The only heart transplant program in the Austin area
Your doctor may recommend a heart transplant if your heart doesn’t respond to medical treatment. The first step is an evaluation to see if you meet the criteria for a transplant. There are many factors that affect whether you are a good candidate for heart transplant and whether it might work well for you, including, but not limited to age and other medical conditions.
If you are a candidate for a heart transplant, you will be placed on the national waitlist. Wait times can vary from a few months to years, depending on your height and weight, blood typing, and organ availability.
While you are waiting for your new heart, you and your care team stay connected, with follow-up visits to monitor your heart health. Talk with your doctor about any new symptoms, your medications and diet while you prepare for your transplant.
Ascension Seton Heart Specialty Care and Transplant Center provides a coordinated, team approach to heart transplantation and long-term care and follow-up. For more than 30 years, our care teams have been working to improve the quality of life for patients with advanced heart failure.
Meet our experienced heart care team
We use a multidisciplinary team approach to care– including all specialists needed to offer the highest level of care at our hospitals and clinics. Our goal is to deliver compassionate heart care centered around your needs.
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, go directly to the ER or call 911.
Locations
- Ascension Seton Heart Specialty Care and Transplant Center: 1301 W. 38th Street, Suite 514 Austin, TX 78705
- Ascension Texas Cardiovascular - Hays: 6001 Kyle Pkwy, Kyle, TX 78640
- Ascension Texas Cardiovascular Williamson: 301 Seton Pkwy #302 Round Rock, TX 78665
- Ascension Texas Cardiovascular - Bastrop: 630 State Highway 71 D Bastrop, TX 78602
- Ascension Providence Congestive Heart Failure Clinic: 6901 Medical Pkwy Waco, TX 76712
- Ascension Texas Cardiovascular - Lamar: 1004 West 32nd St Suite 300 Austin, TX 78705
- Ascension Texas Cardiovascular - Highland Lakes: 200 County Road 340A Building 1, Suite A Burnet, TX 78611
- Ascension Texas Cardiovascular - Northwest: 11111 Research Blvd #300 Austin, TX 78759
