| Program started | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Medicare certified | 1988 |
| Total transplants through 03/31/09 | 523 |
| 1-year survival (patient, Kaplan-Meier actuarial, 2003-07 transplants) | 94% |
| Median transplant length of stay, 2008 (days) | 17 |
| Median wait, 2008 (days) | 45 |
The OHSU Heart Transplant Program began in December 1985 and was Medicare certified three years later. To date, more than 500 heart transplants have been performed at OHSU.
In the 1980s, transplantation was the only treatment option for a broad range of patients with advanced heart failure, but in the 1990s, the OHSU heart transplant group formed the OHSU Heart Failure Treatment Program to develop new medical treatment options for chronic heart failure. Today, many patients are able to choose other treatments that allow them to delay transplantation.
When patients do require transplantation, care is provided by a team of cardiologists, surgeons, nursing clinical transplant coordinators, a social worker, pharmacists and patient services coordinators.
The OHSU heart transplant team is characterized by depth and senior leadership. The four transplant coordinators have a combined total of more than five decades in the program.
Waiting time for a transplant at OHSU is comparatively short: In the last three years, the typical wait was less than three months.
After transplantation, regular monitoring for complications and 24-hour availability for diagnosis and treatment are important aspects of long-term patient success. Close coordination among the team, primary care physicians and patients is key to helping patients lead full lives.
The philosophy of the OHSU Heart Transplant Program is that the best care includes both advanced medical and surgical treatment options. The Heart Failure Treatment Program provides enhanced conventional medical treatment in tandem with new drugs being developed for heart failure treatment. When medical options are insufficient, heart-assist pumps are available: conventional, implantable air-driven, electric left ventricular assist and biventricular assist systems.
The development of new approaches and technologies is an integrated feature of the OHSU heart failure and transplant programs. Looking back, OHSU has participated in most of the landmark studies from which current standards of treatment have been derived.
Updated 05/28/09 by Jean Shepherd, OHSU Transplant Administration. Please send questions, comments or inquiries to transplt@ohsu.edu.