After doing some research on this I just read an article about a man who had this implanted in 2008.....he spent a month in the hospital adjusting to it and now is back doing some things he had previously done. The LVAD once used for those waiting for transplants now are being designed for “destination therapy” which means long term useage.
That is encouraging ....so perhaps Cheney being in the hospital this long may be considered normal for this procedure.............
My husband had a heart transplant in June!!! He is doing great. An LVAD which is what VP Cheney had is an extremely invasive and difficult procedure. It was an option for my husband and the doctors were looking in that direction, however a donor heart became available. When they were explaining the LVAD to us, we were told it is more difficult than bypass or transplant and the risks are greater than either. The hospital stay and recovery is up to four weeks. If one is on a transplant list, and they have to do an LVAD, they are removed from the list. I am stunned that the media did not give more information on the LVAD pump procedure, which is cutting edge and interesting. Possibly the Cheney’s wanted to be more private about it. I suspect that they are using it as bridge to transplant and if he would get a heart, the news will not be kind to Cheney. I know that we heard every bit of news on Clinton’s bypass.