Surgery

Surgery is not a common treatment for heart failure. It's used when there is a problem that can be corrected such as a defect or a blocked coronary artery.

Left Ventrical Assist Devices (LVADs) - These machines take over part or virtually all of the heart's blood-pumping activity. These machines are not permanent solutions to heart failure, but are considered "bridges" to transplantation.

Defibrillator implant - These devices help correct an irregular heartbeat. They deliver an electric countershock to the heart when an abnormal rhythm is found.

Cardiomyoplasty - This is an experimental surgical procedure for severe heart failure that is available at a few U.S. medical centers. It involves detaching one end of a muscle in the back, wrapping it around the heart and then suturing the muscle to the heart. An implanted electric stimulator causes the back muscle to contract, pumping blood from the heart.

Batista technique - A Brazilian surgeon recently developed this technique to treat a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy in which the heart becomes enlarged and weakened. The technique involves removing a section of the heart muscle, repairing leaky valves, and then reshaping the heart so that it pumps better.

Heart transplantation - Class 3 and 4 patients with severe heart failure and symptoms that don't improve with medication may be candidates for transplantation. About 2,300 heart transplants are performed each year in the United States.