Abstract
required to stay close to the implanting hospital for extended periods of time. More recently, technological modifications in VAD mechanics have enabled patients and family members to become more independent. Therefore, patients want to recover closer to the supports and familiarity of their home hospital and community. In order to make this transition successful, VAD programs need to partner with smaller hospitals to educate and support staff, patients and families. Maintaining competency at remote sites is a challenge and training staff to be “VAD aware” should not be confused with “VAD expert”. Patients and families should be aware of the possible risks of being far from the VAD centre and balance these with the benefits before they decide to return home. The purpose of this paper is to share, using case study format, the experience of a quaternary hospital VAD team reaching out to support a tertiary hospital team in caring for the growing VAD population in that community. Administrative pitfalls and triumphs, care team training, and survey of the tertiary hospital staff will be presented.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
