Proactive Palliative Care for Patients With Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) and Their Families

Receive ongoing counseling and symptom assessment as well as clarification and documentation of goals of care, starting before implantation and continuing throughout the course of the study. Intervention patients will also be followed by the inpatient palliative care consultation service when hospitalized for their initial VAD implantation and during any subsequent hospitalizations as needed

Receive usual care as provided by the VAD clinical team.