“With heart failure, it was not a matter of if I would get worse; it was a matter of when, and when it did, my doctors pointed me in the

right direction to HeartMate II.”

John actual HeartMate II recipient

Heart failure is a deadly disease

Knowing your treatment options can give you hope for a

longer, better life

2

Your heart circulates blood, delivering oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. When you have heart failure, your heart isn’t pumping enough blood to meet your body’s needs.1 As the disease progresses, your heart gets weaker, making you feel tired while doing even simple things, such as walking down the driveway or eating.2

If you have heart failure, you are not alone. Over 5 million Americans have heart failure,3 which contributes to 1 in 9 deaths every year.4 That’s why it’s so important to understand the seriousness of the disease.

There is no cure for heart failure. But the good news is, there is hope. With the right treatment—at the right time—people with heart failure can live long, active lives. Knowing your options is important because early treatment is essential.1

Heart failure is serious, but you have options that can help

Understanding heart failure

“Before, I simply did not have the energy, breath, or strengthto have the kind of life I wanted to lead, and today,

I feel as if the world is mine for the taking.”

Aleta actual HeartMate II recipient

3

At first, you may only notice the symptoms occasionally or not at all.

As heart failure progresses, your organs receive less oxygen and nutrients, and you’re able to do fewer things.1,5 You become less active, especially as the disease reaches the advanced stage.5

Eventually, it may seem as though heart disease has taken over your life.

Nearly 275,000 Americans die of heart failure-related causes each year.4

Without treatment, heart failure only gets worse1

Causing you to get progressively weaker

Take the self-test on page 13 of this brochure to help you recognize the symptoms of heart failure before it’s too late.

Finally, you feel tired most of the time, even when at rest.

Then you get short of breath, even while doing simple things.

4

HeartMate II may reverse heart failure symptoms, so you can live longer and feel better6,7

Hope for advanced heart failure

You live a longer, better life.

After surgery, you begin to feel better.

You get back to being able to do things you enjoy.

Advanced heart failure can be a tremendous challenge. But there is a medical device known as HeartMate II that can make a life-changing difference. HeartMate II helps your heart pump the blood your body needs, improving the symptoms of advanced heart failure and helping you become healthy again.

■ 80% of HeartMate II recipients reverse the symptoms of their heart failure condition6

■ HeartMate II recipients are 7 times more likely to survive, compared with patients who take medicine alone6,8

5

“I received HeartMate II and feel so much better. I can breathe. I can walk. I can do almost anything now!”

Artactual HeartMate II recipient

“I got my strength back within 30 days— and boy, it came screaming back! I’m healthier than I have been in 15 years, and that includes my time in the 82nd Airborne Division! Today, I feel a great sense of peace. I’m completely

happy with the decision I’ve made.”

Peteractual HeartMate II recipient

To hear more from patients about how HeartMate II changed their lives, visit www.HeartMate.com.

6

Understanding HeartMate IIHeartMate II is a system that helps your heart send blood with oxygen and nutrients to the rest of your body

■ HeartMate II is a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD9

■ It is the most widely studied and commonly used device of its kind in the world10,11

■ It is the only device of its kind approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for both Bridge to Transplantation and Destination Therapy for long-term support9

• Destination Therapy is an option for people who are ineligible to receive a heart transplant

• Some advanced heart failure patients may not be candidates for a heart transplant because of age, additional cardiac problems such as high blood pressure, or serious conditions such as cancer

• HeartMate II is the only approved long-term option for people seeking Destination Therapy12

■ The HeartMate II heart pump is small, light, and silent9

■ HeartMate II is made by Thoratec,® the world’s leader in devices that support the heart, with over 35 years of expertise and experience12

To learn more about how HeartMate II gives hope to peoplewith advanced heart failure, visit www.HeartMate.com.

7

Meet the HeartMate II SystemParts work inside and outside the body to help your heart9

Heart Pump: Moves blood from your heart to the rest of the body

Driveline: Transfers power and information between the Pocket Controller™ and the heart pump13

Rechargeable Batteries: Provides 10 to 12 hours of uninterrupted power13

Pocket Controller™: Powers and checks the heart pump and driveline. This easy-to-wear controller weighs only 1 pound and discreetly slips into a front pocket

8

■ Enjoying time with family

■ Exercising

■ Traveling

■ Working or volunteering

■ Playing golf

■ Gardening

■ Dancing

■ Cooking

HeartMate II can help you go farther

Simply walking can be a challenge for patients with advanced heart failure.1 In a clinical study, HeartMate II recipients were able to walk an average of 377 yards in only 6 minutes just 6 months after surgery—that’s more than the length of 3 football fields!6

In another study, only 16% of patients were able to walk for 6 minutes before receiving HeartMate II; after receiving HeartMate II, 94% of patients were able to do so.7

Most HeartMate II recipients can go even farther with an active lifestyle* that includes things such as13:

* You cannot play water sports or contact sports because some parts of the HeartMate II system are located outside the body.13

Increased mobility to help you get moving again

9

To hear more from patients about how HeartMate II changed their lives, visit www.HeartMate.com.

“I feel very lucky that the HeartMate II was available when I needed it; it’s an amazing device that has truly

made a difference in my life.”

Sagaractual HeartMate II recipient

10

Trusted around the world for treating advanced heart failure

Here are some of the reasons why HeartMate II is trusted by patients and doctors everywhere:

■ Implanted in over 19,000 people—and counting12

■ More than 7,200 people around the world today are living their lives with HeartMate II12

■ Patients have been supported by HeartMate II for over a decade12

Because HeartMate II changes lives6

11

HeartMate II is accessible wherever you areFind a HeartMate II Center close to home

Nearly 98% of the US population live near a HeartMate II Implanting Center or Community Care Center location12,*,†

■ HeartMate II Centers are located in 49 states and the District of Columbia

■ Over 170 HeartMate II Implanting Centers across the US■ Over 120 HeartMate II Community (Shared Care™) Centers†

*Within a 150-mile radius.† Shared Care is a network of community-based cardiologists who provide local care close to the homes of HeartMate II recipients who live far from their Implanting Center.

12

1. Visit www.HeartMate.com for more information and to locate a HeartMate II Implanting Center near you

2. Talk to your doctor about referring you to a HeartMate II Implanting Center for consultation, or contact an Implant Center directly using the contact information on www.HeartMate.com

“The recipients who do the best are the ones who want to know more.”

Kristiactual HeartMate II recipient

and patient advocate

Keep learning to find the best option for youThere are a couple of ways to learn even more about heart failure and HeartMate II

13

Ask yourself these questions to better understand your condition. Write down the answers to these questions and tear out this sheet to share with your doctor.

o Do you feel out of breath when exercising or even when you’re resting?

o Can you go on short walks—for instance, to get the mail?

o Does your heart sometimes beat faster or slower than normal?

o Are you having trouble sleeping?

o Are you going to the bathroom more often?

o Does your stomach swell up?

o Are you eating less because of nausea?

o Do you have chest pain?

o Is it hard to focus or concentrate on things?

o Have you been in the hospital more than once in the last 6 months for heart-related issues?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, schedule an appointment to see your doctor.

If you have chest pain, severe weakness, rapid and/or changing heartbeat, or shortness of breath (especially with pink mucus), have someone call your doctor right away.

Heart failure self-test

14

“My HeartMate II has provided me with something that I thought

I’d lost: time. Time to see my daughter grow up, time to

spend with my husband, family, and friends—time for another

chance at truly living.”

Lauraactual HeartMate II recipient and cardiac

rehabilitation physical therapist

“I fish. I hunt. In fact, I ride horses! I’m 72 years old, and I just completed a 5K!”

Dennisactual HeartMate II recipient

15

This information is provided for educational purposes. Individual experiences, symptoms, situations, and circumstances may vary. Please consult your doctor or qualified health provider regarding your condition and appropriate medical treatment.

Indications: The HeartMate II LVAS is intended for use as a bridge to transplantation in cardiac transplant candidates at risk of imminent death from non-reversible left ventricular failure. The HeartMate II LVAS is also indicated for use in patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class IIIB or IV end-stage left ventricular failure who have received optimal medical therapy for at least 45 of the last 60 days, and who are not candidates for cardiac transplantation. The HeartMate II LVAS is intended for use both inside and outside the hospital.

Contra-Indications: The HeartMate II LVAS is contraindicated in patients who cannot tolerate or are allergic to anticoagulation therapy.

Common Side Effects: Death, bleeding, cardiac arrhythmia, infection, respiratory failure, device malfunction, sepsis, right heart failure, renal failure, stroke, neurologic dysfunction, psychiatric episode, peripheral or device-related thromboembolic event, hemolysis, hepatic dysfunction, myocardial infarction.

Important Information

To hear more from patients about how HeartMate II changed their lives, visit www.HeartMate.com.

References:1. About heart failure. American Heart Association website. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartFailure /AboutHeartFailure/About-Heart-Failure_UCM_002044_Article.jsp. Accessed January 8, 2014. 2. Heart failure: symptoms. Mayo Clinic website. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-failure/DS00061/DSECTION=symptoms. Accessed January 8, 2014. 3. ACC/AHA update guideline for management of heart failure. American Heart Association website. http://newsroom.heart.org/news/acc-aha-update-guideline-for-management-of-heart-failure. Accessed January 8, 2014. 4. Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2014;129(3):e28-e292. 5. Classes of heart failure. American Heart Association website. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartFailure/AboutHeartFailure/Classes-of-Heart-Failure_UCM _306328_Article.jsp. Accessed January 8, 2014. 6. Park S J, Milano CA, Tatooles A J, et al; for the HeartMate II Clinical Investigators. Outcomes in advanced heart failure patients with left ventricular assist devices for destination therapy. Circ Heart Fail. 2012;5(2):241-248. 7. John R, Naka Y, Smedira NG, et al. Continuous flow left ventricular assist device outcomes in commercial use compared with the prior clinical trial. Ann Thorac Surg. 2011;92(4):1406-1413. 8. Rose EA, Gelijns AC, Moskowitz A J, et al; for the Randomized Evaluation of Mechanical Assistance for the Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure (REMATCH) Study Group. Long-term use of a left ventricular assist device for end-stage heart failure. N Engl J Med. 2001;345(20):1435-1443. 9. Data on file. Learning about the HeartMate II® LVAD. July 2013. Pleasanton, CA. Thoratec Corp. 10. Rodriguez LE, Suarez EE, Loebe M, Bruckner BA. Ventricular assist devices (VAD) therapy: new technology, new hope? Methodist DeBakey Cardiovasc J. 2013;9(1):32-37. 11. Lund H, Gabrielsen A, Tirén L, Hallberg A, El Karlsson K, Eriksson M J. Derived and displayed power consumption, flow, and pulsatility over a range of HeartMate II left ventricular assist device settings. ASAIO J. 2012;58(3):183-190. 12. Data on file. November 2014. Pleasanton, CA. Thoratec Corp. 13. HeartMate II® Left Ventricular Assist System: Patient Handbook. 106022.E. Pleasanton, CA: Thoratec Corp., 2013.

■ Heart failure is progressive—it gets worse over time1,5

■ HeartMate II helps the heart to pump blood—and it’s the most widely used and studied device of its kind in the world10,11

■ HeartMate II has helped more than 19,000 recipients, including 7,200 currently on support12

■ In a clinical study, HeartMate II recipients were 7 times more likely to survive than patients taking medicine alone6,8

HeartMate II is the world leader in LVAD care—giving you hope for a longer, better life

6,13

Thoratec Corporation, 6035 Stoneridge Drive, Pleasanton, CA 94588 1-925-847-8600 1-800-528-2577 www.thoratec.comThoratec, HeartMate II, and the Thoratec logo are registered trademarks of Thoratec Corporation. Pocket Controller and Shared Care are trademarks of Thoratec Corporation.

©2014 Thoratec Corporation. All rights reserved. NA-HM2-07140018

Talk to your doctor to find out if HeartMate II is right for you

Learn more about advanced heart failure and HeartMate II at

www.HeartMate.com