Transplant Surgery
Heart and Heart/Lung Transplantation
| Transplant Surgery
Heart and Heart/Lung |
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Surgeons at the University of Virginia Medical Center began performing heart transplants in 1989 and lung transplants in 1990. The university was also the first in the state to perform single and double lung transplantation. Since then, the University of Virginia has become the first health care facility in Virginia to receive Medicare approval for both heart and lung transplants. According to a recent HCFA study, patients who receive transplants at Medicare-approved centers have a 20 percent lower mortality risk than those who receive transplants at non-approved centers. The multidisciplinary transplant team includes physicians in cardiology, pulmonology, and thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, as well as nurse coordinators, social workers, dieticians, physical therapists and psychologists. The team works closely with each patient and his or her primary care physician to coordinate the best possible long-term care. The transplant team also employs the latest technology such as ventricular assist devices (VADs), which can act as a bridge until a transplant organ is available and which improve the survival chances of heart patients. University of Virginia researchers also conduct internationally renowned research on the diseases that lead to the need for transplantation. This research includes a detailed study of the reasons that some grafts develop atherosclerosis. The team works closely with each patient and his or her primary phsician(s) pharmacists, educators, and allied health professionals -- all providing family-centered expert care. The program began treating patients in March 1996, and has treated seven children as of June 1997. In each case, the indication for treatment was a malignant disease. Six patients have received autologous transplants, and one child received a related donor transplant. The program's new Robert J. Roberts Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Unit provided treatment for its first patient in May 1997. It is the only bone marrow transplant unit in Virginia dedicated solely to the treatment of children. The unit consists of a physically distinct space with high-energy air filtration, UV-treated water sources, as well as space for play and learning. Patients with leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, brain tumors, aplastic anemia, metabolic diseases, hemoglobinopathies and immunodeficiencies will be considered for transplant. The program has experience in collecting peripheral blood stem cells from children as small as 25 pounds. For more information, contact Peter Waldron, M.D., medical director, or Diana Ohst, R.N, transplant coordinator at (434) 924-5105.
See also: the Lung Transplant Program page from the Heart Center |