Yale Heart Failure

08/06/2025

https://www.ynhhs.org/articles/treatment-for-heart-failure

Congestive heart failure is no longer a death sentence. Learn more about heart failure risk factors, symptoms and treatment.

04/09/2024

Yale's heart failure palliative care clinic has seen tremendous success in its first month of operation. Notably, patients have been remarkably open to discussing end-of-life considerations, expressing relief that these difficult topics have been broached. Many have shared that they felt burdened trying to navigate these complex issues alone, and they are grateful to have the support and guidance of our dedicated team. Contrary to common misconceptions, patients have not been scared or reticent to discuss prognosis, advance care planning, and their hopes and fears for the future. Instead, they seem relieved to have these conversations in a compassionate, judgment-free environment.

The collaboration between heart failure specialists and palliative care experts is vital to the clinic's approach. Patients meet with both providers side-by-side, ensuring a cohesive care plan that addresses the full spectrum of their needs - from heart failure management to symptom control to advanced care planning. Primary palliative care should be practiced by all clinicians caring for heart failure patients while there must be a pathway for referral to specialty palliative care when cases become more complex. Patients have been incredibly appreciative of this comprehensive, team-based approach, often expressing heartfelt gratitude through warm hugs at the end of visits.

The overwhelmingly positive response from patients in the first month of the heart failure palliative care clinic underscores the critical importance of normalizing these conversations and making them a routine part of care. Far from being a source of fear or distress, patients have found these discussions to be immensely valuable, providing them with much-needed clarity, comfort, and control over their healthcare journey. The clinic's early success is a powerful testament to the transformative impact that can be achieved when heart failure management is seamlessly integrated with palliative principles.

12/26/2023

We have welcomed three new Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologists to our group this academic year: Dr. Patricia Chavez, Dr. Zachary Port, and Dr. Sara Tabtabai. We are thrilled to have them join our team!

09/06/2023

Today is LVAD Coordinator Day, and we want to give a shoutout to two amazing coordinators, Nicole Baldino & Sharon Madore! They're the best in the business.

07/02/2023

https://youtu.be/3TyWw_k7D28

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01/26/2023

For patients with heart failure, a common condition, the Heart and Vascular Center uses the CardioMEMS™ HF System to provide daily heart health information to the patient’s disease management team. Once this CardioMEMS sensor – about the size of a small paperclip -- is implanted during a minimally invasive procedure at the hospital, the medical team can adjust heart failure medications more easily toward preventing fluid buildup and hospitalizations.

01/16/2023

Get your flu shot to prevent heart failure!!!

Infographic created by the American College of Cardiology.

01/03/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNkqR1ObKLY
Christopher Maulion and Arnar Geirsson MD discuss how we make use of ex vivo perfusion devices to offer more donor heart options for our patients waitlisted for heart transplantation.

For more information on heart transplants or , visit: https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/heart-transplant.The heart is the organ that makes...

11/10/2022

As a leader in advanced heart care, Yale New Haven Hospital offers both adult and pediatric heart transplants. After performing the first heart transplant at YNHH in 1984, YNHH Heart and Vascular Center marked a significant milestone in 2021 with its 500th transplant.

Experts in anesthesiology, cardiovascular medicine, and cardiothoracic surgery make up the YNHH heart transplant team. Throughout the transplant process, staff with expertise in advanced heart failure, cardiac surgery, and cardiac transplantation work closely with patients and their families.

A remarkable amount of growth has occurred in the heart transplant program in recent years. Since 2019, YNHH has performed over 40 heart transplants annually, a four-fold increase from 2017. With 49 adult heart transplants performed in 2019, the program set a new state record for heart transplants in a single year.