Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Heart & Vascular >
  • ... >
  • About Us >
  • Patient Stories >
  • Heart Transplant >
  • Bob Lancia
Heart & Vascular
About Us
Awards & Recognition
Your Care Team
Classes, Events, & News
Giving
Patient Stories
Heart Disease
Heart Rhythm Disorder
Heart Transplant
Heart Valve Disease
Pulmonary Hypertension
Vascular Conditions
Ventricular Assist Device (VAD)
Conditions We Treat
Our Services
For Patients
For Professionals & Students
Our Locations
Contact Us
Heart & Vascular
About Us
Awards & Recognition
Your Care Team
Classes, Events, & News
Giving
Patient Stories
Heart Disease
Heart Rhythm Disorder
Heart Transplant
Heart Valve Disease
Pulmonary Hypertension
Vascular Conditions
Ventricular Assist Device (VAD)
Conditions We Treat
Our Services
For Patients
For Professionals & Students
Our Locations
Contact Us

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Bob Lancia: VAD and Heart Transplant

Bob Lancia | UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute

The Challenge: Heart Failure

Bob Lancia, 55, a resident of West View, Pa., loves his job completing building maintenance for the University of Pittsburgh. But heart problems starting in 2010 made his very hands-on job more and more challenging.

“It got to the point where it was hard to walk from building to building. I was constantly trying to get to the next street corner, so I could sit down and catch my breath,” Bob says.

Bob’s heart issues started to become evident in 2010 when he had a mild heart attack. He went to UPMC Passavant for treatment and began routine follow-ups with a cardiologist for his heart issues.

He was able to function normally, though. He continued to work and enjoy daily activities until, in 2014, Bob became very sick.

Diagnosed with heart failure, Bob’s ejection fraction — a number that tells how well the heart is pumping blood — was less than 10%. In danger of having sudden cardiac arrest, Bob’s heart doctor prescribed a LifeVest™. The wearable personal defibrillator would shock his heart, should it suddenly stop.

Bob kept taking medicine prescribed to improve his ejection fraction, which rose to 35%. But since he was still at risk, doctors implanted a pacemaker to replace Bob's LifeVest in October 2014. A pacemaker is a device that treats heart rhythm problems, increasing your heart rate when it beats too slow.

For about three years, Bob’s heart issues were under control.

Then, in the fall of 2017, the oldest of Bob’s three sons unexpectedly passed away. This loss took a severe toll on Bob’s health.

In July 2018, after months of stomach pain and nausea, Bob had surgery at UPMC Passavant to remove his gallbladder.

Two weeks later, Bob felt like he had a fever. His doctors urged him to go to the ER.

Upon admission to UPMC Passavant’s ER, doctors found that Bob had an aortic aneurysm and a type B aortic dissection.

  • An aortic aneurysm causes a bulge in the wall of the heart's aorta. This major blood vessel carries blood from your heart to the rest of your body.
  • A type B aortic dissection is a tear in the descending part of the aorta.

Due to his weak heart and other health issues, Bob’s doctors felt it best to send him to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh. Once there, he met the team of specialists at the UPMC Advanced Heart Failure Center.

The Path to UPMC’s Advanced Heart Failure Center

Bob spent about a month in the hospital regaining strength before his doctors began to assess him for a heart transplant.

The exam revealed upsetting news. Due to the dissection of his aorta, a transplant, or any other type of heart surgery would be very risky.

By the end of August 2018, Bob was told that he wasn't a candidate for a heart transplant.

With his aneurysm making things too dangerous to operate, a disappointed Bob returned home with medicine. He was encouraged to keep following up with the Advanced Heart Failure team.

Bob was home for about a month. By the end of September, he was back in UPMC Presbyterian.

The Advanced Heart Failure Center team determined Bob’s best option at the time was to have extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

ECMO is a machine that replaces the function of a failing heart. It pumps and oxygenates blood outside the body, which then allows the heart to rest.

Bob’s heart responded well to ECMO — a promising sign that his body was ready to keep on fighting.

The Solution: An LVAD as a Bridge to Heart Transplant

Since his heart responded so well to the ECMO, after a week, Bob had another chance at life. He received an LVAD device to help his heart.

An LVAD is an internal heart pump doctors give to those in the final stages of heart failure. The LVAD lets people resume a slightly altered version of their daily life.

Bob's doctors explained that — despite how his heart was fighting — he was still too high-risk for a heart transplant.

The LVAD did give Bob some freedom, and he was able to go home by the end of October 2018.

Bob’s LVAD worked well, letting him work on regaining strength.

About two months after he had his LVAD installed, Bob started working out again. He walked on the treadmill, gently helping his heart get stronger.

Bob’s body ended up responding well to the LVAD. Bob’s aortic dissection and aneurysm that made a heart transplant too risky had remained stable during his time on the LVAD.

By early December 2018, Bob was on the heart transplant waiting list.

At first, doctors told him he'd be on the list for a while due to factors like age, weight, and blood type. But Bob was only on the list for two months before getting the call that he had a second chance at life. There was a heart ready for him.

“I had just finished my treadmill walk when I got the call. Even though it was sudden, I didn't hesitate. I told my wife, ‘okay, let’s go,’” Bob says.

Bob had a successful heart transplant in February 2019.

The Results: A Heart That Works Better Than Ever

Today, Bob is still in recovery, but his heart continues to work better than ever.

He hopes to get back to work soon and finish building maintenance in the labs at the University of Pittsburgh.

Bob is very thankful for UPMC.

“I wouldn't be alive if my doctors didn’t fight for me each step of the way,” says Bob.

He is also extremely grateful for his donor and is passionate about organ donation.

Ever since the passing of his oldest son, Bob is very empathetic. The idea of someone else giving their own life so that he could live is an honor.

Bob hopes to meet with his donor’s family via the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) someday to express his gratitude.

Today, Bob follows up with the team at UPMC every two months and is starting to feel like his normal self.

“I can’t say enough about the whole team,” says Bob. “The doctors and staff were incredible to not only me but my family and visitors as well.”

Bob is thankful for his journey with UPMC and their commitment to his care.


LifeVest is a trademark of Zoll.

Bob's treatment and results may not be representative of similar cases.

Read more heart transplant patient stories


Contact Us

Contact UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute to make an appointment today.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login