Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have changed the treatment of advanced heart failure. One question comes up again and again from patients and families: how long can you live with an LVAD? This guide brings together what the best available studies show, what affects the outlook, and what life with the device is like.
The figures below describe large groups of people, not any one person. Your VAD team knows your situation and is the best source for questions about your own outlook.
The short answer
- In MOMENTUM 3, the largest trial of the HeartMate 3, 58.4% of patients were alive five years after their implant.
- In the US Intermacs registry, 85.9% of people with a magnetically levitated pump such as the HeartMate 3 were alive one year after their implant, 60.2% after five years and 51.8% after seven years.
- Some people have lived with an LVAD for 14 to 16 years.
- Age, overall health, the timing of the implant and how complications are handled all make a difference.
What an LVAD is
An LVAD is a mechanical pump implanted in the chest to help a weakened heart pump blood to the rest of the body. It is used for people with advanced heart failure, either while they wait for a heart transplant or as long-term treatment when a transplant is not an option.
The system has three main parts:
- the pump, implanted next to the heart
- the driveline, a cable that leaves the body through the skin and connects the pump to the outside equipment
- a controller and a power source, usually two batteries, worn on the body
LVADs have come a long way since the 1960s. Today's pumps are smaller and more durable, but living with one still means daily care of the equipment and the driveline, and regular follow-up with your VAD team.
LVAD survival rates: what the studies show
The MOMENTUM 3 trial
MOMENTUM 3 compared the HeartMate 3 with the older HeartMate II in 1,020 patients. After five years, 58.4% of patients with a HeartMate 3 were alive, compared with 43.7% with a HeartMate II. Strokes, bleeding and blood clots in the pump were also less frequent with the HeartMate 3 (Mehra et al., JAMA 2022).
Two things help when reading these numbers. People who received a heart transplant were counted only until their transplant, so the figures describe survival while on the pump. And the study was funded by Abbott, which makes both pumps.
The US Intermacs registry
Intermacs, run by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, collects data on LVAD patients across the United States. Its 2025 report covers 28,029 pumps implanted from 2015 to 2024. Among people with a magnetically levitated pump such as the HeartMate 3, 85.9% were alive one year after their implant, 60.2% after five years and 51.8% after seven years (Nayak et al., Annals of Thoracic Surgery 2026).
Age makes a difference. In the same report, people aged 65 and over had 80.6% survival at one year and 51.1% at five years.
How long have people lived with an LVAD?
Many people now live five years or more with an LVAD, and some much longer. Doctors in Qatar reported a patient who had been supported by the same HeartMate II for 16 years (Chawa et al., Clinical Case Reports 2025), and a team in Sweden reported 14 years with the same pump (Hallberg Kristensen et al., ASAIO Journal 2024).
What affects how long you live with an LVAD
- Age and overall health. Younger patients and those with fewer other health problems generally do better.
- Timing. People who receive an LVAD before their condition becomes too severe often have better outcomes.
- Type of pump. In MOMENTUM 3, the HeartMate 3 had better survival and fewer strokes, bleeding events and pump clots than the older HeartMate II.
- Following your care plan. Taking medicines as prescribed, caring for the driveline, keeping the equipment powered and going to follow-up visits all affect how well you do.
- Center experience. Hospitals with more LVAD experience tend to have better results.
- Right heart function. If the right side of the heart is also weak, managing the LVAD is harder and outcomes can be affected.
- Complications. Infections, bleeding and device problems, and how quickly they are treated, affect survival.
Waiting for a transplant or long-term therapy
An LVAD is used in two main ways. As a bridge to transplant, it keeps a person alive and improves their health until a donor heart is available, which can take months or years. As destination therapy, it is the long-term treatment for people who cannot have a transplant.
The difference may matter less than it seems. In MOMENTUM 3, the HeartMate 3's advantage over the HeartMate II was similar in both groups. Among HeartMate 3 patients, 76.8% of those headed for a transplant and 73.2% of those on long-term therapy were alive two years later without a disabling stroke or an operation to remove or replace a malfunctioning pump. People on long-term therapy were older on average, 63 compared with 55. Plans also change: 13.5% of the patients first considered unable to have a transplant received one within two years. The authors suggested that the two labels may be better replaced by a single strategy (Goldstein et al., JAMA Cardiology 2020).
Quality of life with an LVAD
Survival is only part of the picture. Many people report real improvements after their implant:
- more energy and the ability to do daily activities
- better exercise tolerance
- better sleep
- fewer heart failure symptoms, such as shortness of breath and fatigue
Living with an LVAD also brings challenges:
- the pump needs power at all times, so batteries have to be carried and changed
- some activities are restricted, especially in or near water
- regular check-ups, and sometimes hospital stays
- the risk of device-related complications
Many people still return to work, travel and hobbies. Day to day, the controller and batteries go wherever you go. Clothing with built-in pockets, like our LVAD shirts and tank tops and LVAD shorts, keeps them close to your body instead of in a bag. For more on carrying your equipment, see our LVAD battery guide and our guide to LVAD carrying gear.
Complications and how they are managed
LVADs have greatly improved survival in advanced heart failure, but they carry risks. Common complications include:
- infections, particularly where the driveline leaves the skin
- bleeding, often in the stomach or intestines
- stroke or other blood clots
- device malfunction or failure
With today's pumps these are less common than they were. In the 2025 Intermacs report, five years after their implant, 73.5% of patients had not had gastrointestinal bleeding, 81.8% had not had a device malfunction and 87.1% had not had a stroke.
Ways to reduce these risks include:
- Infection prevention: careful driveline care and good hygiene.
- Anticoagulation management: balancing the risk of clotting against the risk of bleeding.
- Regular follow-up: to catch problems early.
- Patient education: knowing how to manage the device, recognizing warning signs and knowing when to seek help.
- Lifestyle: diet, exercise programs designed for LVAD patients and ways to manage stress.
The emotional side of living with an LVAD
The psychological side of life with an LVAD is easy to overlook, but it matters for overall well-being. Common challenges include:
- worry about the device failing or losing power
- low mood linked to lifestyle changes and depending on the device
- body image concerns about the visible equipment
- strain on relationships and family life
Counseling, support groups for patients and caregivers, cognitive behavioral therapy and family therapy can all help. Many LVAD programs now include psychological support as part of standard care.
How LVAD technology is improving
Each generation of pumps has improved on the last:
- Continuous-flow pumps have largely replaced older pulsatile pumps. They are smaller and more durable.
- Magnetic levitation: the HeartMate 3's rotor floats in a magnetic field, which reduces wear and is designed to be gentler on blood cells.
- Power: batteries have improved, and wireless power transfer is in development.
Researchers are also working on:
- fully implantable systems without a driveline through the skin, which would greatly reduce the risk of infection
- smaller pumps that can be implanted with less invasive surgery
- pumps that adjust their speed to your activity
- new materials that the body tolerates better, to reduce clots and infections
- better support for a failing right ventricle, and regenerative approaches such as combining LVAD therapy with stem cell treatments
These technologies are at different stages of research, but they point to better results for future patients.
The bottom line
So, how long can you live with an LVAD? It depends on the person, but with today's pumps more than half of patients are alive five years after their implant, and some live much longer. An LVAD is about the quality of that time as much as its length.
If you are considering an LVAD or living with one, work closely with your VAD team, stay informed about your device and your health, and connect with other patients and caregivers. Life with an LVAD has its challenges, but for many people it brings time with family, new memories and a return to the things they love.
Sources
- Mehra MR, Goldstein DJ, Cleveland JC, 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. PubMed
- Nayak A, Cascino TM, DeFilippis EM, et al. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Intermacs 2025 annual report: focus on outcomes in older adults. Ann Thorac Surg. 2026;121(1):15-38. PubMed
- Goldstein DJ, Naka Y, Horstmanshof D, et al. Association of clinical outcomes with left ventricular assist device use by bridge to transplant or destination therapy intent: the MOMENTUM 3 randomized clinical trial. JAMA Cardiol. 2020;5(4):411-419. PubMed
- Chawa Y, Habib MB, Chapra A, Elbdri S. Longest known survivor with HeartMate II continuous-flow left ventricular assist system: a case report of the 16-year success story. Clin Case Rep. 2025;13(1):e9695. PubMed
- Hallberg Kristensen A, Svenarud P, Lund LH, Najjar E. The longest living patient supported with left ventricular assist device (14 years). ASAIO J. 2024;70(10):e147-e149. PubMed