Miniaturized ventricular assist devices (VADs) and other novel pieces of equipment will take the spotlight here at the Heart Failure Society of America meeting against a backdrop of tension over standardizing performance in the field.

VAD pumps have gotten progressively smaller and more convenient for patients over time -- to the point where they are considered as a heart transplant alternative in some circumstances.

The next stage of development may be paving the way to their use outside of late-stage cases, conference program co-chair Lynne Stevenson, MD, explained in an interview with MedPage Today.

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