Heart failure and advanced therapies program

Inova offers Northern Virginia's only heart failure program. Our physicians have been at the forefront of medical advances in treating heart failure for decades and care for thousands of heart failure patients each year. Additionally, we offer:

• Cardiologists who are board certified in both advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology.
• A range of therapeutic options to enhance quality of life, including remote home-based monitoring for prompt intervention and medication adjustments.
• Specialized programs for conditions such as cardiomyopathy, sarcoidosis, amyloidosis.
• One of the only heart transplant programs in the Washington, DC region certified for both heart and lung transplantation by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
• One of the mid-Atlantic's busiest mechanical circulatory support programs, making us a leader in the development and use of ventricular assist devices or "VADs" – also commonly referred to as LVADs - for patients with end-stage heart failure. Our program has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Ventricular Assist Devices.
• Leading-edge research studies using the latest therapeutic approaches for advanced heart failure, including medications and devices used as a bridge-to-transplant or as a destination therapy. Learn more about Inova's current heart-related clinical trials.

Conditions that weaken or damage the heart and may lead to heart failure include:

• Abnormal heart rhythms (heart arrhythmias)
• Active infections of the heart valves or heart muscle, such as endocarditis
• Anemia and too much blood loss
• Inherited genetic conditions
• Amyloidosis
• Diabetes
• Disease of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy) – damage to the heart muscle
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Heart problems that are present at birth (congenital heart defects)
• Coronary artery disease (the most common form of heart disease/heart failure)
• Faulty heart valves which force your heart to work harder and can weaken it over time
• Heart attack
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Long-term (chronic) lung disease and pulmonary embolism
• Myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle
• Reaction to medicines such as those used for chemotherapy
• Complex conditions affecting multiple systems and organs throughout the body systems, including the heart, such as sarcoidosis.

With lifestyle modifications and medications, heart failure can be managed. Our team works closely with each patient and their family to design treatment plans that maximize the quality and quantity of life.

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