Heart failure · Mechanical circulatory support
LVAD: a heart pump
for end-stage heart failure.
When heart failure stays severe despite medication and devices, a left ventricular assist device can take over much of the left ventricle's pumping work. China now has four domestically made LVADs plus Abbott's HeartMate 3. Published Chinese series report early survival in line with international results.
Quick answer
What is an LVAD and how long can you live with one?
A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a surgically implanted pump that moves blood from the left ventricle into the aorta. A cable through the skin connects it to an external controller and batteries. It is used as a bridge to heart transplant or as long-term (destination) therapy. In the MOMENTUM 3 trial, overall 5-year survival with the HeartMate 3 was 58.4%, versus 43.7% with the older axial-flow HeartMate II. Chinese series of the CH-VAD (77 patients) and HeartCon (36 patients) reported about 91% one-year survival.
76.9% vs 64.8%
2-year primary endpoint
Alive without disabling stroke or pump reoperation: HeartMate 3 vs HeartMate II, 1,028 patients
MOMENTUM 3, NEJM 2019
2.3% vs 11.3%
Pump replacement, 2 years
HeartMate 3 vs HeartMate II
MOMENTUM 3, NEJM 2019
58.4%
5-year survival, HeartMate 3
vs 43.7% with HeartMate II (HR 0.72)
MOMENTUM 3, JAMA 2022
91.6%
1-year survival, CH-VAD
77 patients, 7 Chinese centres; no pump thrombosis
Lu et al., iScience 2025
91%
1- and 2-year survival, HeartCon
36 patients, single centre (Tianjin)
Liu et al., J Thorac Dis 2025
Jul 2024
HeartMate 3 approved in China
Joins four Chinese-made LVADs
NMPA approval
Goals of therapy
Why an LVAD is implanted.
Bridge to transplant (BTT)
Keeps a transplant candidate alive and well enough until a donor heart is available.
Temporary
Destination therapy (DT)
Permanent support for patients who are not transplant candidates. A 2026 Chinese review noted that Chinese LVAD use has so far focused mainly on bridging, with little DT experience.
Lifelong
Bridge to decision / recovery
Used while transplant eligibility is clarified, or occasionally until the heart recovers enough for the pump to be removed.
Case by case
In China
LVADs approved in China
All five pumps below are third-generation continuous-flow devices: the impeller is suspended magnetically or hydrodynamically, not on bearings. Which pump is used depends on the centre's experience, the patient's size and anatomy, and cost.
| Device | Maker | Approval | Published Chinese data |
|---|---|---|---|
| EVAHEART I | Chongqing Yongren Heart (永仁心) | 2019 — China's first approved implantable LVAD | — |
| CH-VAD | BrioHealth (同心医疗), Suzhou | 2021 | 77 patients, 7 centres: 91.6% survival at 6 and 12 months |
| HeartCon | Rocor Medical (航天泰心), Tianjin | 13 July 2022 | 36 patients: survival 91% at 1 and 2 years |
| Corheart 6 | Core Medical (核心医疗), Shenzhen | Approved | — |
| HeartMate 3 | Abbott (US) | 25 July 2024 | International: MOMENTUM 3 (1,028 patients) |
Chinese series are small, observational and mostly bridge-to-transplant, so they are not directly comparable with the randomised MOMENTUM 3 trial.
Living with an LVAD
What it involves for an international patient
LVAD surgery is open-heart surgery, usually followed by an intensive-care stay and several weeks of recovery and training. You and a caregiver learn to manage the controller, batteries, driveline dressing and anticoagulation. In MOMENTUM 3, the main serious complications were stroke, bleeding and pump thrombosis, all less frequent with the HeartMate 3 than with the older pump.
Because an LVAD needs lifelong specialist follow-up, we only recommend it for international patients who can come back to the implanting centre, or who have an LVAD-capable cardiology team at home that has agreed to take over their care. Expect to stay in China for weeks, not days.
Published experience
Centres with published
LVAD outcomes in China.
Beijing Anzhen Hospital 北京安贞医院
Lead centre, 7-centre CH-VAD study (iScience 2025)
TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital 泰达国际心血管病医院
36-patient HeartCon series, 91% survival at 2 years (J Thorac Dis 2025)
Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University 复旦大学附属中山医院
Participating centre, CH-VAD study
Shanghai Chest Hospital 上海市胸科医院
Participating centre, CH-VAD study
Asia Heart Hospital 武汉亚洲心脏病医院
Participating centre, CH-VAD study
Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital 四川省人民医院
Participating centre, CH-VAD study
FAQ
LVAD questions — answered.
- Is an LVAD the same as an artificial heart?
- Not exactly. An LVAD assists your own left ventricle, which stays in place. A total artificial heart replaces both ventricles. In Chinese media LVADs are often called 人工心脏 (artificial heart).
- How long can you live with an LVAD?
- In MOMENTUM 3, overall 5-year survival with the HeartMate 3 was 58.4%. Among patients still on support at 2 years, 54.0% were alive at 5 years without disabling stroke or pump-replacement surgery. Outcomes depend heavily on how sick you are at implant and on your other organs.
- Which LVADs are available in China?
- Four Chinese-made pumps (EVAHEART I, CH-VAD, HeartCon and Corheart 6) and Abbott's HeartMate 3, approved in China in July 2024. All are third-generation continuous-flow pumps.
- Are Chinese-made LVADs as good as HeartMate 3?
- Early Chinese data are encouraging: about 91% one-year survival in the CH-VAD (77 patients) and HeartCon (36 patients) series. But these studies are much smaller and shorter than MOMENTUM 3, so a direct comparison isn't yet possible.
- Can a foreign patient get an LVAD in China?
- LVAD implantation does not involve donor organs, so the transplant rules for foreigners do not apply. The practical limit is follow-up: you need lifelong specialist care. We discuss a follow-up plan with your home team before recommending travel.
Related guides
Heart failure treatment (hub)
The step-by-step pathway from medication to devices, LVAD and transplant.
Read the guideICD for sudden-death prevention
Single-, dual-chamber and extravascular ICDs; who qualifies at EF ≤35%.
Read the guideCRT-P / CRT-D (biventricular pacing)
For wide QRS with left bundle branch block: trial data and criteria.
Read the guideCardiac contractility modulation (CCM)
A device option for narrow QRS, EF 25–45% — approved in China.
Read the guideHeart transplant in China
Outcomes, volumes — and the rules for foreign patients.
Read the guideCardiac surgery in China
Bypass, valve surgery, TAVR and other procedures that treat reversible causes.
Read the guideSources
References
- Mehra MR, et al. A fully magnetically levitated left ventricular assist device — final report (MOMENTUM 3). N Engl J Med. 2019;380(17):1618–1627.
- Mehra MR, et al. Five-year outcomes in patients with fully magnetically levitated vs axial-flow left ventricular assist devices in the MOMENTUM 3 randomized trial. JAMA. 2022;328(12):1233–1242.
- Lu Y, et al. Multicenter study for CH-VAD as a fully magnetically levitated left ventricular assist device. iScience. 2025;28(2):111764.
- Liu X, et al. Survival prognosis and clinical experience of HeartCon-type left ventricular assist device implantation for treating patients with end-stage heart failure: a single-center retrospective study from China. J Thorac Dis. 2025.
- Perioperative clinical profiles and longitudinal outcomes in patients supported by continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital). Front Cardiovasc Med. 2026 — lists China's four approved domestic LVADs (EVAHEART, CH-VAD, HeartCon, Corheart 6) and notes use concentrated on bridging rather than destination therapy.
- HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist system approved by China's NMPA on 25 July 2024 (Yicai news report); EVAHEART I approved as China's first implantable LVAD in 2019 (CGTN, 11 Sep 2019).
- Heidenreich PA, et al. 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: Executive Summary. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022;79(17):1757–1780.
Considering an LVAD?
Start with an evaluation.
Send your echo, right-heart catheter results (if any), labs and medication history. A partner heart failure team will tell you whether you are an LVAD candidate, which pump they would use and what follow-up would require.
This page is for general education only and is not medical advice. Device and surgical treatment for heart failure depends on your ejection fraction, ECG, symptoms, other conditions and how you respond to medication, and only your cardiologist can decide what fits. Trial results describe groups of patients, not what will happen to you. We are an independent patient-coordination service and are not affiliated with any device manufacturer.