Heart Failure Program

The interdisciplinary Heart Failure Program provides specialized inpatient and outpatient treatment for adults with heart disease, cardiomyopathy and advanced heart failure.

Our Heart Failure Physicians provide patient consultation and care in conjunction with their referring physician for all types of cardiomyopathy including hypertrophic, familial, peri-partum and amyloidosis.  Our physicians are board-certified in advanced heart failure and transplantation as well.

Led by Dr. Michele Hamilton, our 30-bed Advanced Heart Failure Unit provides state-of-the-art multidisciplinary care for congestive heart failure and heart transplant patients.  A first of its kind center in California, the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute’s Advanced Heart Failure Unit utilizes a team approach to improving the standard of patient care with intensive heart-health education as well as team-focused care for the management and real-time monitoring of our patients.  Our medical and nursing team coordinates daily with a dedicated group of pharmacists, nutritionists, physical therapists and social workers.

As we lead the way in treatment for cardiomyopathy, we utilize both established and new advancements to treat heart disease and advanced heart failure. Among these advancements include clinical trials for stem cells and surgically implanted mechanical devices such as the Total Artificial Heart (TAH) and the HeartMate® Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) which allows for improved patient health in either long term situations or while waiting for a transplant.  

For heart transplant candidates, Cedars-Sinai’s Heart Institute has an excellent record of successful treatment outcomes and is the largest center of its kind in the United States performing more transplants than any other center in the world.

Diagnostic services for heart failure and cardiomyopathy include:

• Cardiopulmonary exercise testing
• Echocardiography
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Nuclear cardiology
• Genetic testing for familial and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies

Innovative treatment options include:

• Implantable hemodynamic monitoring devices
• Biventricular pacing
• Heart transplantation
• Outpatient infusion therapy
• Ventricular assist devices
• Cardiac stem cells

For questions or referrals to the Cedars-Sinai Heart Failure Program, please call: (310) 423-2077.

In the 2012-13 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals issue, Cedars-Sinai once again ranked among America's best in Cardiology and Heart Surgery.