Medical Disclaimer

I built this site to help people understand heart failure, transplant and the care around them, in words that make sense at a kitchen table. Education is powerful, but it has limits. This page explains them plainly. In it, "I" and "me" mean Dmitry Yaranov, MD, and "the site" means this website, its newsletter, and the videos and social media posts I share.

Education, not medical advice

Everything on the site, including articles, Heart School lessons, the newsletter, videos, graphics and posts, is general health education. It explains how conditions such as heart failure, cardiac amyloidosis, pulmonary hypertension and cardiogenic shock are understood and treated, and how therapies such as heart transplant, LVADs and other mechanical circulatory support work. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan for you.

No doctor-patient relationship

Reading the site, watching a video, subscribing to the newsletter, following me on social media, leaving a comment or sending me a message does not create a doctor-patient relationship between us. That relationship begins only through a formal visit with a licensed clinician through a hospital, clinic or practice. If I reply to a message, the reply is general information and does not make me your doctor.

Your own clinician comes first

Please do not start, stop or change any medicine, dose, device setting or treatment because of something you read or watch here. That includes heart failure medicines, blood thinners, anti-rejection medicines after transplant and LVAD settings. Changes like these can be dangerous without someone who knows your full picture.

Bring your questions to your own doctor or care team. If you live with an LVAD or a transplanted heart and something does not feel right, call the number your own program gave you, or 911 in an emergency.

General information that changes over time

The information here is general. Your body, history, medicines and test results are your own, so something that is true for most people may not be true for you.

Medicine also moves. New trials are published, guidelines are updated and devices change. Each piece reflects what was known when it was written, so please check the date and the sources, and ask your clinician what is current for you. I work to keep the content accurate, but I cannot promise that every page is complete, up to date or free of error.

No diagnosis or second opinions online

I cannot diagnose you, review your case or give a second opinion by email, through the contact form, in comments or in social media direct messages. Please do not send symptoms, test results, images or records expecting a medical answer. The address contact@hearttransplantdoc.com is for speaking, media, consulting and collaborations. It is not for medical questions or emergencies. If you would like a formal second opinion, ask your doctor about a referral to a heart failure or transplant program.

Patient stories and results

Patient stories on the site are real experiences, shared with permission and told without names to protect privacy. Each one is a single person's journey. Results vary from person to person, and a story is not a promise or a guarantee that you will have the same outcome.

Research and clinical trials

When I describe research or a clinical trial, I am summarizing it in plain language. Summaries leave details out, and early results do not always hold up. A description of a study is not an offer to enroll you and not a recommendation that you join. Each study team decides who is eligible under its own approved protocol. If a trial interests you, ask your doctor, or look it up on ClinicalTrials.gov and contact the study team listed there.

Licensing and where care happens

Physicians in the United States are licensed state by state, and the rules for caring for someone in another state, including by video, differ. The site is open to readers everywhere, but nothing on it is the practice of medicine or telehealth in any state or country. Medical care happens only within a formal visit, with a clinician licensed where you are, under the rules that apply there.

My views are my own

The opinions on the site are mine. They do not represent the views of any hospital, health system, university, employer or professional society I work with or belong to. Mention of a medicine, device, company or product is for education and is not an endorsement.

Links, videos and illustrations

The site links to outside articles and journals and embeds media from services such as YouTube, Instagram and other platforms. I do not control those services, and a link or an embed is not an endorsement of everything on them. Their own terms and privacy policies apply when you use them.

Medical illustrations and images are here to teach. They are simplified, may not look like your own heart or device, and are credited to their creators where they appear.

Limits of liability

You stay in charge of your health decisions, together with your care team. To the fullest extent allowed by law, I am not responsible for any harm, loss or decision that results from using or relying on the site. Nothing here limits any right you have that the law does not allow to be limited. The Terms of Use explain this in more detail.

Privacy of what you send

Email, contact forms and social media are not secure ways to share health information. Please do not send medical records, test results or private details about your health or anyone else's. Anything you do send will not be used to give you medical advice. The Privacy Policy explains how information shared with the site is handled.

Questions about this page

If something here is unclear, email contact@hearttransplantdoc.com. I may update this disclaimer from time to time, and the date at the top shows when it last changed.

This disclaimer is provided for transparency and is not legal advice.