YOUR INCISION SHOULD BE YOUR DECISION™
Heart transplant + LVAD second opinion
Clarity before a heart transplant or LVAD decision.
A cardiac surgeon and cardiologist independently review one complete record—so you can understand candidacy, timing, treatment paths, workup gaps, and whether another center deserves consideration.
- 2
- independent specialists
- 1
- co-signed written report
- 24 hr
- after complete records and imaging
No referral or travel required. Direct pay; insurance claims are not submitted.
Case mapAdvanced heart failure
Decision in front of youWhich pathway fits this record—and when?
WHITEGLOVE Heart TeamCardiac surgeon + cardiologist
Transplant, LVAD, and advanced medical therapy—organized around your record, your timing, and your questions.
Explore a sample reportThe decision in front of you
Three paths. One patient-specific picture.
An independent review does not begin by assuming one answer. It clarifies which paths are actually relevant to the documented clinical picture—and what remains unknown.
Heart transplant
Whether the record supports transplant candidacy now, what could affect listing, and which uncertainties still need to be resolved.
Durable LVAD
Whether mechanical support is being considered as a bridge to transplant or as destination therapy, and how that path fits the documented physiology and goals.
Advanced medical therapy
Whether optimization, further testing, temporary support, or another advanced-heart-failure strategy deserves discussion before a durable operation.
Candidacy + timing
The decision is larger than an ejection fraction.
Transplant and LVAD candidacy depend on a connected set of clinical and practical factors. The review makes each factor—and its source—visible.
Hemodynamics
Cardiac output, filling pressures, pulmonary artery pressures, pulmonary vascular resistance, and whether elevated pressures appear reversible.
Right-heart function
Right-ventricular performance and valve findings that can materially affect LVAD suitability and post-operative risk.
Kidney and liver reserve
Current organ function, trajectory, congestion, and whether an abnormality appears potentially reversible or may alter candidacy.
Frailty and nutrition
Functional capacity, strength, weight, nutrition, and other factors that may influence recovery and listing decisions.
Prior treatment and surgery
Current heart-failure therapy, inotropes, devices, prior sternotomy, coronary or valve procedures, and other relevant history.
Goals and support
The practical demands of transplant or LVAD care, the support plan documented by the program, and the patient’s own priorities.
WHITEGLOVE Insights™
Every page should move the decision forward.
Your report is a patient-facing map of the decision, built from the record and reviewed by both specialists.
Download a sample report
Advanced heart failure reviewWHITEGLOVE Insights™
Your pathway,
organized.
Decision mapTransplant
LVAD
Advanced therapy
LVAD
Advanced therapy
Cardiac surgeonCardiologist
Your current clinical picture
The diagnosis, trajectory, symptoms, prior treatment, imaging, hemodynamics, laboratory data, and plan already proposed—clearly tied to the source record.
Heart Team perspective
Where the cardiac surgeon and cardiologist agree, where uncertainty remains, and what deserves discussion with the advanced-heart-failure team.
Candidacy and timing
The factors that may support or complicate transplant or LVAD candidacy, organized around the decision and its timing.
Pathway comparison
Transplant, bridge-to-transplant LVAD, destination-therapy LVAD, and advanced medical strategies compared when relevant to the case.
Workup gaps
Missing imaging, hemodynamic data, testing, specialty input, or documentation that could materially change how the decision is understood.
Center and transfer context
Program experience, geography, practical access, and next-step coordination when another advanced-heart-failure center deserves consideration.
Questions answered
Questions raised before or during a consultation, preserved in patient-facing language with the Heart Team’s answers.
Practical next steps
A concise list of questions, missing information, and discussions to bring back to the clinicians responsible for treatment.
The report is educational decision support. It does not diagnose, prescribe treatment, determine transplant eligibility, or replace the clinicians responsible for your care.
What may still be missing
A workup gap can change the conversation.
The review does not hide incomplete information. It identifies which missing inputs may matter and gives you patient-facing questions for the treating team.
Right-heart catheterization
Pressures, cardiac output, pulmonary vascular resistance, and vasodilator testing when performed.
Echocardiography
Left- and right-ventricular function, valve disease, chamber size, and other findings relevant to advanced heart failure.
Coronary and structural imaging
Catheterization, CT, MRI, and prior operative records when they affect the proposed pathway.
Laboratory trajectory
Kidney, liver, blood-count, metabolic, and heart-failure markers—using the most recent clinically relevant results.
Functional and frailty data
Exercise testing, functional capacity, nutrition, frailty, and rehabilitation assessments when available.
Program evaluation
Advanced-heart-failure notes, transplant or LVAD committee findings, cited barriers, and the rationale for the current recommendation.
Center fit + transfer network
The right next conversation may be somewhere else.
When another advanced-heart-failure program deserves consideration, the report can place center experience, geography, practical access, and public information in context. The team can then help organize the record and facilitate an introduction or transfer inquiry through its professional network.
A receiving institution makes all acceptance, evaluation, scheduling, and treatment decisions. No partnership or appointment is implied or guaranteed.
Explore the care-transfer networkWHITEGLOVE Heart Team
Two specialties. One accountable review.
The cardiac surgeon and cardiologist examine the same record from different clinical perspectives, then confer and co-sign one report.
The operation, mechanical support, and recovery perspective.
Reviews operative history, transplant and LVAD considerations, technical risk, right-heart issues, and the proposed surgical pathway.
WHITEGLOVE Heart TeamIndependent review.Shared conclusion.
The physiology, trajectory, and advanced-therapy perspective.
Reviews hemodynamics, medical therapy, organ-function trajectory, imaging, candidacy inputs, and whether important questions remain unresolved.
How it works
From scattered records to a clear next conversation.
You bring the question. The records team helps assemble the evidence. The Heart Team makes the answer usable.
- 01
Start with a complimentary orientation
Tell a Heart Team specialist what decision you are facing. No referral or records are needed for the first conversation.
- 02
We help assemble the complete record
Upload what you have or authorize the records team to help gather imaging, catheterization data, notes, laboratory results, and the program evaluation.
- 03
Two specialists review independently
A cardiac surgeon and cardiologist examine the same complete record from their respective clinical perspectives, then confer.
- 04
Receive one co-signed report
Your WHITEGLOVE Insights™ report is delivered within 24 hours after the records and imaging required for review are confirmed complete.
Start with the written review
One complete record. Four levels of access.
Every option begins with the same dual-specialist review and co-signed written report. Add a live physician conversation only if you want it.
WHITEGLOVE Insights™
Independent review by both physicians and the co-signed written report.
WHITEGLOVE Consult
The written report plus a live consultation with one reviewing physician.
WHITEGLOVE Heart Team
The written report plus both reviewing physicians together on the consultation.
WHITEGLOVE Concierge
The Heart Team consultation plus concierge access until the day of surgery.
Direct pay. WHITEGLOVEMD does not submit insurance claims. HSA/FSA eligibility depends on your plan.
Source framework
The reasoning should be traceable.
ISHLTGuidelines for the care of heart-transplant candidatesISHLTGuidance for durable mechanical circulatory supportOPTNHeart-transplant data and allocation resourcesCMSHeart-transplant center information
External standards and public information provide context. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or a specific treatment recommendation.
Heart transplant + LVAD FAQ
Questions families ask before the next decision.
What is reviewed in a heart-transplant or LVAD second opinion?+
A cardiac surgeon and cardiologist review the records relevant to the advanced-heart-failure decision, which may include echocardiography, right-heart catheterization, coronary or structural imaging, laboratory trends, functional and frailty assessments, prior procedures, clinical notes, and the transplant or LVAD program evaluation. The WHITEGLOVE Insights™ report organizes the current plan, candidacy factors, timing, reasonable pathways, workup gaps, center context, and questions for the treating team.
Can the review compare heart transplant with an LVAD?+
Yes, when both pathways are relevant to the documented clinical situation. The report can compare transplant, bridge-to-transplant LVAD, destination-therapy LVAD, and continued advanced medical management. It explains the patient-specific factors that may support or complicate each path without assuming that every option fits every patient.
What is the difference between bridge-to-transplant and destination-therapy LVAD?+
A bridge-to-transplant LVAD provides durable mechanical support while a patient remains a transplant candidate and waits for a donor organ. Destination therapy uses an LVAD as long-term treatment when transplant is not planned or available. The device may be similar, but the goals, candidacy questions, and anticipated care pathway differ.
Can a second opinion reassess why I was declined for transplant?+
The review can organize the reason documented by the transplant program and examine whether the relevant records support that concern, whether information appears incomplete, and whether a potentially modifiable factor deserves further discussion. It cannot reverse a program decision or guarantee candidacy, but it can make the rationale and reasonable next questions clearer.
Which records matter most for transplant or LVAD candidacy?+
The most useful record is the complete advanced-heart-failure evaluation. It commonly includes right-heart catheterization data, echocardiography, coronary or structural imaging, kidney and liver trends, laboratory data, functional and frailty assessments, prior operative records, specialty evaluations, and the program’s written candidacy or treatment rationale. The records team can help identify and gather missing material with your authorization.
Does the review assess whether the timing is right?+
Yes. The Heart Team considers the documented disease trajectory, symptoms, hospitalizations, medication tolerance, hemodynamics, organ function, temporary support, and other case-specific factors. The report can clarify whether the record supports discussing transplant, LVAD, additional evaluation, or further optimization now. It does not direct treatment or replace urgent clinical judgment.
Can WHITEGLOVEMD help me reach another transplant or LVAD center?+
When another program deserves consideration, the team can help identify an appropriate center, organize the record, and facilitate an introduction or transfer inquiry through its professional network. Acceptance, timing, evaluation, and treatment decisions remain entirely with the receiving institution; no formal partnership or guaranteed appointment is implied.
Who reviews my advanced-heart-failure case?+
A cardiac surgeon and cardiologist independently review the same complete record, then confer and co-sign one patient-facing WHITEGLOVE Insights™ report. Their two perspectives are included at every service level.
How much does a heart-transplant or LVAD second opinion cost?+
After your complimentary conversation, we email the package we recommend, what it includes, and the secure next step. Every option — from the written WHITEGLOVE Insights™ review to Consult, Heart Team, and Concierge — includes review by a cardiac surgeon and cardiologist and a co-signed written report. WHITEGLOVEMD is a direct-pay service and does not submit insurance claims. There is no cost to talk to us.
When does the 24-hour turnaround begin?+
The 24-hour turnaround begins only after the records and imaging required for the review have been received and confirmed complete. Time spent requesting or collecting records is outside that window. The records team can help identify and gather what is needed with your authorization.
Do I need a referral or have to travel?+
No referral or travel is required for the independent medical-record review. You may choose the written review alone or a higher service level that includes a live physician consultation.
What if my condition is urgent or I am in the hospital now?+
WHITEGLOVEMD does not provide emergency care and should never delay urgent or time-sensitive treatment. Continue following the instructions of the clinicians caring for you. If you may be experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately. A records-based second opinion can be considered only when it is clinically appropriate and the necessary information is available.
Start with clarity
Understand the pathway before the next irreversible step.
Move forward with greater certainty—or return to the treating team with sharper questions.
