Ventricular Assist Device Disease Specific Care Certification

Cleveland Clinic has provided exemplary
care for over 100 VAD patients since the
initial certification in 2008.

On December 29th 2008, Cleveland Clinic’s Mechanical Circulatory Support Program received The Joint Commission’s (TJC) Gold Seal of Approval and disease specific care certification for their Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) program.  Recently, Cleveland Clinic underwent an intra-cycle review by the TJC and was awarded continued certification for the VAD program for the upcoming year. 

Disease Specific Care certification demonstrates a commitment to excellence in providing for the needs of patients with advanced heart failure and who require surgical intervention.   To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes a one and a half day extensive on site review by TJC surveyor every two years. 

This certification means that the Cleveland Clinic meets or exceeds national care standards for patients requiring VADs.  “Cleveland Clinic has voluntarily pursued this comprehensive, independent evaluation to enhance the safety and quality of care we provide” says Tiffany Buda, RN, program manager.  

Advanced Heart Failure Treated with Continuous-Flow
Left Ventricular Assist Device

Cleveland Clinic participated in a randomized trial, recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine, to determine if patients with advanced heart failure have improved survival rates and quality of life when treated with an implanted continuous-flow device or the currently approved pulsatile-flow device.  New continuous-flow devices are smaller and may be more durable than the
pulsatile-flow devices.

Methods
Patients enrolled had a median age of 64 years, with preoperative characteristics being similar in the two treatment groups.  The primary composite end point was, at 2 years, survival free from disabling stroke and reoperation to repair or replace the device.

Results
Treatment with continuous-flow left ventricular assist device in patients with advanced heart failure significantly improved the probability of survival free from stroke and device failure at 2 years as compared with a pulsatile-flow device.  Both devices significantly improved the quality of life and functional capacity.  However, patients with continuous-flow devices had superior actuarial survival rates at 2 years (58% vs. 24%).