Heart Failure Program
Why Stanford
When you have heart failure, you deserve to have a world-class medical team on your side, prepared to treat the condition no matter how complex. As an international leader in heart failure management, we provide a level of care available only at Stanford. Our experts deliver the latest diagnosis and treatment options for all types of heart failure and lead the way in research to advance care. Choosing Stanford for heart failure care means receiving state-of-the-art heart care to get you back to living your best life.
What We Offer You for Heart Failure
- Internationally recognized expertise in diagnosing and treating all forms of heart failure.
- Specialized diagnostics including genetic testing, cardiac MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
- Comprehensive support services such as support groups, nutrition counseling, and behavioral therapy to help you live well during treatment and beyond.
- Access to clinical trials so patients can receive the latest heart failure treatments, including medical devices, that aren’t widely available.
- Ongoing clinical research to provide access to cutting-edge technology and innovative therapies to improve health and quality of life.
Our team of experts has specialized training in heart failure and have dedicated their careers to deeply understanding and effectively treating this condition. We take on the most complex heart failure cases that other health centers consider too challenging to treat. If medication therapy isn’t working, then we can assess whether heart transplantation or left ventricular assist devices will help.
We play a key role in medical research and device trials, paving the way for lifesaving discoveries. Our experts’ training and research, combined with our team approach to care, help you get back to your life as soon as possible.
Types of Heart Failure
Our heart failure experts have extensive expertise in delivering treatment for all types and stages of heart failure:
Systolic heart failure (heart failure with reduced ejection fraction): The heart muscle is weak and cannot pump blood, which can result from:
- Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia
- Coronary artery disease
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC)
- Muscular dystrophy such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
- Sarcoidosis
Diastolic heart failure (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction): The heart is stiff and cannot relax properly, which can result from:
- Amyloidosis
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Hypertensive heart disease
- Infiltrative cardiomyopathy
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy
- Scleroderma
Heart valve disease from either leaky (regurgitation) valves, tight (stenotic) valves, or both, including:
- Aortic valve disease
- Mitral valve stenosis and regurgitation
- Tricuspid valve disease
- Pulmonic valve disease
Our heart failure experts work closely with you to help you manage the condition so you can live your life to the fullest. Our team of highly trained heart failure cardiologists collaborate with Stanford colleagues in many fields of medicine:
- Adult congenital heart disease
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Electrophysiology
- Cardiac genetic counseling
- Interventional cardiologists
- Palliative care
These doctors collaborate on all stages of care, from diagnosis to personalized treatment planning through follow-up and chronic disease management. They will surround you with expertise and compassion and partner with you on your care.
At Stanford, we take a unique approach by collaborating with heart specialists from many different clinics to treat the many causes of heart failure. No other health center offers the number and spectrum of specialized clinics to treat heart failure and the conditions that cause it. Our clinics expand your access to other Stanford specialists, opening doors to options and healing.
Heart Clinics
Diagnosis & Treatment
As world leaders in heart failure care, we combine expertise and technology to deliver the most advanced diagnosis and treatment options available.
The symptoms of heart failure are commonly mistaken for those of other conditions. Our experts are dedicated to getting to the bottom of your health concerns as quickly as possible so treatment can begin.
Heart Failure Diagnosis
Whether you come to our program with a diagnosis or not, we will perform testing to confirm or refine the diagnosis. We offer all available tests for diagnosing heart failure, such as blood tests, heart function tests, and cardiac imaging. Your doctor will recommend the testing necessary to design a care plan tailored to you.
Diagnostic program highlights include:
- Advanced diagnostics: We offer genetic testing, cardiac MRI, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
- Diagnostic expertise: We deliver expertise in interpreting testing for unusual myopathies, such as amyloidosis and sarcoidosis.
Heart Failure Treatment
Our specialized cardiologists and other experts offer a full range of heart failure treatment options that leverage the latest technology. Our experts proudly participate in research to advance many of these treatments. Your doctor will work with you to determine the right options for you.
Our treatments include:
- Medications to target specific symptoms and meet treatment goals
- Implantable devices including pacemakers, cardiac resynchronization therapy devices, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD), and implantable hemodynamic monitors
- Minimally invasive procedures for valve diseases including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR)
- Surgery including coronary artery bypass graft surgery, valve repair or replacement, heart transplant, congenital heart repair, septal myomectomy, and ventricular remodeling
- Mechanical circulatory support using a permanent or temporary left ventricular assist device (LVAD)
- Heart transplant to treat heart failure when medical and device therapy is no longer effective
- Catheter ablation to treat atrial and ventricular arrhythmias
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (angioplasty and stenting) to treat coronary artery disease
- Palliative care to help improve your quality of life during and after heart failure treatment
close Heart Clinics
As world leaders in heart failure care, we combine expertise and technology to deliver the most advanced diagnosis and treatment options available.
The symptoms of heart failure are commonly mistaken for those of other conditions. Our experts are dedicated to getting to the bottom of your health concerns as quickly as possible so treatment can begin.
Heart Failure Diagnosis
Whether you come to our program with a diagnosis or not, we will perform testing to confirm or refine the diagnosis. We offer all available tests for diagnosing heart failure, such as blood tests, heart function tests, and cardiac imaging. Your doctor will recommend the testing necessary to design a care plan tailored to you.
Diagnostic program highlights include:
- Advanced diagnostics: We offer genetic testing, cardiac MRI, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
- Diagnostic expertise: We deliver expertise in interpreting testing for unusual myopathies, such as amyloidosis and sarcoidosis.
Heart Failure Treatment
Our specialized cardiologists and other experts offer a full range of heart failure treatment options that leverage the latest technology. Our experts proudly participate in research to advance many of these treatments. Your doctor will work with you to determine the right options for you.
Our treatments include:
- Medications to target specific symptoms and meet treatment goals
- Implantable devices including pacemakers, cardiac resynchronization therapy devices, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD), and implantable hemodynamic monitors
- Minimally invasive procedures for valve diseases including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR)
- Surgery including coronary artery bypass graft surgery, valve repair or replacement, heart transplant, congenital heart repair, septal myomectomy, and ventricular remodeling
- Mechanical circulatory support using a permanent or temporary left ventricular assist device (LVAD)
- Heart transplant to treat heart failure when medical and device therapy is no longer effective
- Catheter ablation to treat atrial and ventricular arrhythmias
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (angioplasty and stenting) to treat coronary artery disease
- Palliative care to help improve your quality of life during and after heart failure treatment
close Diagnosis & Treatment
Each person with heart failure, no matter what type and stage, has concerns about their health, comfort, and life. Our team will surround you with the individualized support you need to navigate your care journey with confidence. And we will help you and your loved ones understand the condition, treatments, and ways to support you as you manage the condition.