Introduction: Advanced heart failure affects only a small percentage of patients with heart failure (HF), but never the less, is a growing public problem. Heart transplantation was a gold standard of treatment for many years, but in the last 10 years novel advanced treatment methods have become available as a therapy. (1)

Case report: In this case report we will show a 52 years old patient who was hospitalized in Department of Intensive Cardiac Care due to HF. Patient had biventricular dilative cardiomyopathy and had cachexia on admission. Because he was on inotropic support and his vital signs needed to be continuous monitoring, he needed intensified nursing care. His medical treatment was complicated with hemodynamic instability and eventually he underwent placement of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and 3 days after that he had been upgraded to central circulatory support of both ventricles. During that time, diagnostic workup for heart transplant was completed and he was listed for urgent heart transplant via „Eurotransplant“. After 20 days a suitable organ was offered, and he underwent the procedure with a good result during recovery.

Conclusion: Medical care of patient with mechanical heart support is quite a challenge to nurses. However, her role is a crucial in multidisciplinary approach. Beside physical, educational and psychological help provided by nurse to a patient, she also coordinates work of the health team, navigates patient through the health system and allocates education and support for patient family members. Efficient team work with a focus on quality communication can significantly prevent work errors and can improve patient content with provided service.