Heart Failure is a progressive disease that is not reversible, and the only way to recover from the severe heart failure is to receive a heart transplant. In order for a heart transplant to occur, a patient has to wait till a matching heart donor is not found. During this wait time, the patient uses the Left Ventricular Assist Device to assist in the functioning of the failing heart. In this case, LVAD implantation is performed in order to extend the patients life until a suitable donor is found, and this makes LVADs suitable for the BTT or Bridge-to-transplant market. Another industry in which LVADs find application is the DT or Destination therapy market. DT patients are those who have heart failures but are not eligible for heart transplants, may be due to their ages or some other illness that might get aggravated by heart transplantations. In such cases, the patients have to use the LVADs till they survive.

Though some drug treatments and pacing devices are also available to address the heart failure disorder yet they can not stop the progression of this disease. Other devices and cell-based therapies are either in the early stages of development or have shown no fruitful results in achieving the desired results. All these factors have made ventricular assist devices (VADs) an increasingly accepted viable long term treatment option.

The start of the modern LVAD era began with the introduction of the HeartMate XVE in 1998. During the succeeding decade, vast improvements in pump design resulted in new crop of LVADs whose attributes are not only transforming LVAD therapy into the standard-of-care for end-stage heart failure, but also opening a potentially multi-billion dollar market for device manufacturers.

North America has been the largest market for LVADs and account for more than two-thirds of the global market. Despite this, the North American LVAD market still remains underpenetrated.

Heart failure being one of the leading causes of death in the developed world, coupled with the increasing shortage of heart donors, the LVAD market surely has opportunities coming in its way. In fact, the trend in the demography, i.e. the increasing ageing population would also benefit the LVAD market. Also, the growth in the market would be driven by increasing awareness about LVAD technology among referring cardiologists as a result of the education. The positive outcomes of LVADs in improving the quality of life of the patients as well as cost effectiveness and reimbursement conditions worldwide are likely to increase the use of LVADs in future.

There are two major players operating in the global LVAD market, Thoratec and Heartware. From the past years, Thoratec had a lions share in the global market, but in the years to come, Heartwares share has been estimated to increase.

The current report analyzes the global LVAD market with special reference to the US LVAD market. It also analyzes the factors that are likely to drive the LVAD market in the coming years, along with the key issues faced by the industry. The report profiles Thoratec Corporation, Heartware International and World Heart Corporation, along with their strategies for growth.

Table of Content

1. Heart Failure
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Various Stages of Heart Failure
1.3 Available Treatment Options for HF

2. LVAD Market
2.1 Global LVAD Market
Market Value & Volume
Breakdown by Region
Market Segments
2.2 US LVAD Market
Market Value & Volume
Market Segments

3. Market Drivers
3.1 US Demography Offering Opportunities for Growth
3.2 Growing Bridge-to-transplant Market
3.3 Rising Destination therapy Market
3.4 Ageing Population Worldwide
3.5 Under-Penetrated Market
3.6 Expansion in Number of LVAD Centers
3.7 Cost Effectiveness
3.8 Reimbursement Trends

4. Key Issues
4.1 Barriers for DT adoption
4.2 Stringent Regulations

5. LVAD Market - Competitive Landscape

List of Tables

Stages of Heart Failure by AHA and ACC
NYHA Classification of Heart Failure
Global LVAD Market Statistics by Application Area & Company (2010E-2014E)
US LVAD Market - by Value and Volume (2008-2014E)
LVAD Market Opportunity analysis in the US (2009-2014E)
Cost Effectiveness of LVADs (1998-2008)
CPT Codes for VAD Implantation
Product Comparison in LVAD Market

List of Figures

Types of Heart Failure
Global LVAD Market Estimates (2009-2014E)
LVAD Pumps Sold Worldwide (2010E-2014E)
Global LVAD Market Value Share by Region (2009)
US Heart Transplant Donor Shortage (2001-2009)
Ageing Population (with ages greater than 55 years) Worldwide (2003-2010)
LVAD Reimbursement Trend in the US (2002-2009)
Possible Scenarios of the Global LVAD Competitive Landscape
Global LVAD Market Share by Leading Companies (2009-2014)
US LVAD Market Volume Share by Leading Companies (2008-2014E)
EU VAD Market Share by Companies (2008-2013E)
Thoratec Corporation Revenue (2006-2010)
Thoratec Corporation Revenue-Share Breakdown by Region (2010)
Heartware International Revenue (2008-2010)
Heartware International Revenue Share Breakdown by Region (FY10)
World Health Corporation Revenue (2008-2010)
World Health Corporation Revenue Share by Sources (2010)