Addressing the functional needs of left ventricular assist device candidates: Development and feasibility of an occupational therapy pre-operative evaluation.

Background: Everyday living with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is complex, particularly for people with physical or cognitive impairments or limited social supports. There is a need for standardized pre-operative functional evaluations.

Objectives: Our objectives were to describe a pre-operative occupational therapy (OT) evaluation for LVAD candidates, assess its feasibility in routine care, and characterize functional needs.