Heart & Lung Transplant Program

The Heart Institute is a pioneer in pediatric heart lung, and heart-lung transplants for chldren with end-stage cardiac or pulmonary disease. 

The Cardiothoracic Transplantation Center is one of the country's largest pediatric transplant programs and the only program of its kind in California.

The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery is headed by Vaughn A. Starnes, M.D., co-director of the Heart Institute and chief the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at USC.  An internationally recognized transplant authority, Dr. Starnes has performed "firsts," including transplanting a heart and lung into the youngest patient ever - a four-month-old baby.

Also within this division are physicians with demonstrated excellence in surgical, cardiology, and pulmonary specialties, along with trained transplant nursenad a full-time transplant coordinator. 

Our full-spectrum services include evaluation, pre- and post-operative management and follow-up, surgery, hospitalization in a dedicated cardiothoracic ICU, immunosuprression, and ongoing coordination wih the referring physician.

• Who Needs Transplantation?
• Referral for Care
• Evaluation
• After Acceptance
• After Discharge
• Lung Transplant History
• Educational Materials
• Support Organizations

HEART AND LUNG TRANSPLANT STATISTICS

World's First
In 1992, hospital cardiothoracic surgeons performed the world's first double lung lobe transplant from living parents to their child.

Heart Transplants
The first heart transplant at our hospital was performed on March 4, 1993 (since then, we have completed 67 heart transplants here).

Lung Transplants
Thirty-six cadaveric lung transplants have been performed here. The first living donor lobar lung transplant at our hospital was performed on May 13, 1993. Fifty-five living donor lobar lung transplants have been performed here. Forty-three cadaveric lung transplants have been performed here since that time.

Heart/Lung Transplant
There have been 12 heart/lung transplants performed at our hospital.

LIVING LOBAR TRANSPLANTS

Since the Heart Institute pioneered the use of livng donors for lung transplants in 1993, Dr. Starnes has performed more living-related lung transplants in children than any other surgeon nationwide. The Heart Institute remains one of the very few centers in the country to perform these complicated transplants.

PULMONARY HYPERTENSION

The Heart Institute offers comprehensive care for patients with primary (PPH) and secondary pulmonary hypertension, incuding the West Coast's largest PPH Prostacyclin infusion program - only one aspect of the leading pediatric pulmonary program in the Western United States. With prostacyclin therapy, the five-year survival rate for children with PPH jumps to more than 90%, providing a valuable window before transplantation becomes necessary.  

OUTCOMES DATA

Each year, the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients provides outcomes data for hospitals across the country.  We compare our measures to other pediatric measures across the nation. 

Check Our Outcomes Data
Source: Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients - January 2011