Charles Pulley

Charles Pulley was diagnosed with advanced heart failure, he could only take three or four steps before needing to stop for 15 minutes to catch his breath. “I was sinking. I just felt weak all the time,” he remembers. Following a visit to his primary care physician, he was referred to Dr. Nikolas Krishna, a board-certified and fellowship-trained advanced heart failure cardiologist and director of Advanced Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support at the Levinson Heart Failure Clinic. Part of the HCA Virginia Physicians network and located on the campus of Chippenham Hospital in Richmond, Levinson Heart Failure Clinic is a certified Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) facility caring for the most sensitive and intensive diseases of the heart.

Hope restored

After an initial evaluation, Pulley learned that the lower left ventricle of his heart was no longer able to pump enough blood to the rest of his body. When medication and lifestyle changes failed to make enough difference, Dr. Krishna recommended that a left ventricular assist device, commonly called an LVAD, be implanted to take over the pumping function of Pulley's heart.

“Of course, I was nervous,” Pulley said, “but my daughter, Keisha, encouraged me to do it not just for me but for her.” Keisha’s role as caregiver after her father’s surgery was key to his successful recovery. It also helped that a patient who had LVAD operation nine years earlier talked to Pulley to share his personal experience with the procedure. “I trusted him, and he was right. The surgery was serious, but within a week after getting the LVAD, I was almost myself again.”

How does it work?

The LVAD is a mechanical pump that is surgically implanted into the bottom apex, or point, of the heart. It consistently pumps blood through a tube attached to the aorta and out to the rest of the body, essentially taking over the function of the left chamber of the heart. The implanted LVAD pump also connects to a cable that runs through the skin of the abdomen to a small computerized device on the outside of the body.

Pulley wears a belt or a vest containing rechargeable batteries and a backup power pack that continuously run the LVAD pump. The entire device is portable, allowing him to resume his normal daily activities. “I don’t mind wearing the battery pack,” he said. “Without it, I don’t think I would be here.”

Looking ahead

With renewed energy, Pulley is back to spending more time with his family and doing the things he loves. He considers Dr. Krishna and his surgical team “like family". “They stuck with me through the entire process,” he said. When asked what he would tell other patients considering LVAD surgery, he is encouraging. “Life is beautiful and getting this surgery gave me my life back. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”

Learn more about Dr. Krishna and the Levinson Heart Failure Clinic, or call (804) 483-1270 for additional information.