Scripps Physicians Save Baseball Hall of Famer's Life with LVAD Heart Device

Two months after suffering a massive heart attack that nearly took his life, beloved former Major League Baseball star Rod Carew recently told his story publicly to Sports Illustrated and several other major media outlets.

After being transferred to the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute in La Jolla, Scripps surgeons implanted a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) into the Hall of Fame member during a six-hour surgery led by Dan Meyer, MD, and Sam Baradarian, MD.

The LVAD is a type of mechanical heart pump that helps a weak heart pump blood through the body. Batteries and a portion of the mechanical equipment are worn outside the body.

Following his heart attack, Carew’s cardiologist in Orange County referred him to Scripps cardiologists James “Thomas” Heywood, MD, and Ajay Srivastava, MD, for advanced heart failure management.

Read the Sports Illustrated report: Rod Carew Opens Up About His Private Life and His Near-Death Experience

Read the Los Angeles Times report: Former Angels Star Rod Carew Opens Up About Massive Heart Attack, Challenging Recovery

Read the Pioneer Press report: Twins Great Rod Carew, After Near ‘Widow Maker,’ On Heart Transplant List

Read the Star Tribune report: After Nearly Dying, Rod Carew Awaits Heart Transplant

The American Heart Association News report, “Baseball Great Rod Carew Winning Fight for Life,” is no longer available.