Overview
Living with heart failure can be challenging, but the right care can make all the difference. No matter what stage of heart failure you have, our team will work with you to live the longest, healthiest life possible.
Our heart failure specialists have expertise in the most advanced and complex heart failure cases. With specialized knowledge in ventricular assist devices, we help many people with heart failure return to a more active life. Our highly active heart transplant program provides excellent outcomes, and is among the highest volume heart transplant centers in the region. We provide hope for people who may have been told they had no treatment options left.
Heart Failure & Transplantation Program at Cleveland Clinic Florida: Why Choose Us?
Whether you have mild, moderate or advanced heart failure, our expert team is equipped to help. From expertise in heart failure medications to exceptional heart transplant surgery, our team delivers the care you need. Patients in our Heart Failure Program benefit from:
- Complete team: Our heart failure team works seamlessly with various specialists to cover all your needs. The team includes experienced cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, care coordinator nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists, social workers and others. Meet our expert heart failure team.
- Remote monitoring: Our team keeps track of your treatment progress, no matter where you are. Cleveland Clinic’s advanced remote heart failure monitoring detects changes in your heart health before you even feel any symptoms. Then, from miles away, we can update you and adjust your medications.
- Medication support: Heart failure medications can be complicated, and often the dose needs to be increased over time. Our Heart Failure Pharmacy Optimization Clinic takes the guesswork out of medicines. The clinic features specialized heart failure pharmacists who meet with patients to maximize their medication dosage and keep them on their treatment plan.
- Genetic testing: Certain genes can increase the risk of heart failure. Our doctors create a customized treatment plan based on genetic test results. Our skilled genetic counselors explain your results and what they mean for your health.
- Heart transplant excellence: With our decades of experience, our team maintains a high transplant success rate with low waitlist mortality. Our experts carefully consider every case, even people who were told they couldn’t have a transplant at other centers. We help more patients get transplants sooner, despite seeing patients with some of the highest healthcare needs.
- Latest ventricular assist devices: Ventricular assist devices (VADs) can help people with advanced heart failure live longer, more active lives. Our cardiac surgeons have expertise in implanting these devices in people who have severe disease and other health conditions.
- Focus on research: We participate in research and clinical trials that give our patients access to the newest treatments. As innovators on the forefront of heart failure research, our team has the latest knowledge of leading-edge therapies.
Congestive Heart Failure Treatments We Provide
Our multispecialty team cares for you as a whole person before, during and after heart failure treatment. Every patient receives personalized testing and treatment to best meet their needs. Our specialists use the most advanced technology and research to ensure the highest level of care. Treatments we provide include:
Medications and lifestyle management
An optimized medication plan keeps your heart failure from worsening and helps avoid hospitalization or serious complications. Our doctors and heart failure pharmacists make sure our patients take the correct types and amounts of medications.
Our team also includes specialized nurses, dietitians and cardiac rehabilitation experts. This team answers your questions and assists with diet, exercise and lifestyle changes that can keep you healthier, longer.
Remote monitoring of heart failure
We use a leading-edge heart failure monitoring system to remotely keep track of your health. This small, implanted device alerts your medical team of possible issues before you feel any symptoms. Then, your medical team can change your medications or dosage, helping you avoid the need for hospitalization.
Our team also uses virtual visits. This use of a secure video connection lets you have follow-up visits without coming to the office when an in-person visit is not possible.
Electrical device management of heart failure
Our electrophysiology experts are skilled in treating heart failure-related arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). These advanced electrical devices can help regulate arrhythmias and improve quality of life for people with heart failure. Electrical devices we provide include:
- Biventricular pacemaker or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT):This device is a pacemaker with an additional wire designed to help people with advanced heart failure. This treatment can improve heart function and quality of life in eligible patients.
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs): ICDs can treat life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms in people with heart failure.
Nonsurgical interventional treatments
Cleveland Clinic Florida interventional cardiologists work closely with heart failure cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to provide nonsurgical treatments for heart failure. We may recommend these treatments for people who cannot have surgery and have:
- Aortic valve disease, including aortic stenosis and regurgitation.
- Coronary artery disease.
- Mitral valve disease, including mitral valve stenosis and mitral valve prolapse.
Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) treats heart failure caused by mitral valve regurgitation (leaky heart valve). Our experts use TMVR to complement other heart failure treatments in eligible patients.
Surgical management of heart failure
Our surgeons are highly experienced in complex surgery for heart failure. Cleveland Clinic cardiothoracic surgeons have extensive experience in heart transplant and implantation of VADs.
When you come to us for a heart transplant or a VAD, we carefully review your individual case. Our multidisciplinary team focuses on identifying the treatment that will provide the best results for you.
Appointments & Locations
Make an appointment at one of our Cleveland Clinic Florida locations, or schedule a virtual visit.
Locations
Research
In terms of research and education we are creating a global platform for research, education and innovation in advanced heart disease, cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support that will enhance our clinical leadership at a national and international level.
Current active projects include participation in multicenter registries for temporary (Cardiogenic Shock Working Group, ELSO, ECMOCard) and durable mechanical circulatory support (Intermacs) and cardiac transplantation (UNOS). Cross-talk with structural heart disease and cardiomyopathy centers (amyloidosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) has enhanced our clinical and research collaboration of enterprise registry (Amyloidosis Registry CCF) trials addressing chronic heart failure patients (CLASP, Tendyne, Carrillion, TAVR-Unload, Corvia, Navigate).
