Left Ventricular Assistance Devices (LVAD) is an amazing invention to help your heart pump blood. Carl received an LVAD following a heart attack in 2020. They initially did bypass surgery, and he had six bypasses, more than anyone I know. Unfortunately, it was not enough, so they installed a Heartmate III. He has always been athletic and active and has never been a good hospital patient. He has shared two videos on living with an LVAD. He continues to enjoy hunting, gardening, and canning. I invite you to listen to the two videos below to learn more.
We have experimented with this pattern over the years. I added a cell phone pocket on the lower front. He requested a small slit to let the vest stay down yet provide an opening for the line to feed the controller. We recently switched from Velcro to Snaps, which was a positive change.
The elastic straps allow for a close fit and ease of movement, but the elastic wears out over time. We tried replacing this with fabric, but that did NOT work. Any suggestions are welcome. I also added a loop with a snap to keep the batteries from falling out of the pockets when he is in the garden.
Shown is a recent vest with snaps and cell phone pocket. The vest pattern is twelve pages with pictures from the original post. It is downloadable below.
Here is a second video with more information on living with an LVAD.