People in need of heart transplantation to treat end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease are in expert hands at UPMC.
Our heart transplant team takes on some of the most complex, high-risk cases.
We look at each case we receive. We study the complexities of each person's heart disease and decide how we can best help.
Our team of experts has performed more than 1,700 adult heart transplants.
A heart transplant is a surgery to remove a diseased heart from a patient and replace it with a healthy one from an organ donor. Heart transplants can lengthen your lifespan and improve your overall quality of life.
You may be a heart transplant candidate if you suffer from a severe heart disease such as:
Learning you or a loved one may need a heart transplant can be daunting. We want to help ease your fears and answer the many questions you likely have.
Learn more about the heart transplant journey.
During this step, you will be evaluated to see if you meet the criteria for a heart transplant. If you do, your doctor will refer you to UPMC's Heart Transplant Program.
As you start your heart transplant journey at UPMC, we'll assign you a transplant coordinator. He or she will guide you through each stage of your heart transplant journey.
All wait times vary. While you're on the heart transplant waiting list, you may need to stay in Pittsburgh. When a donor heart becomes available, your transplant coordinator will call you.
Once a heart becomes available and your transplant coordinator calls you, it is crucial that you get to the hospital right away. The amount of time for a heart transplant depends on the complexity of your case and if you need other procedures.
Learn more about how to prepare and what to expect during surgery.
After your surgery, you will begin to recover and go through post-operative care.
Learn more about what to expect as you heal after heart transplant surgery.
Our heart transplant program is one of few that has heart recipients living 30 years or more after transplant. Nationally, 85 to 90% of heart transplant recipients survive one year after the transplant. The average three-year survival rate is around 85%, with that number being 91% at UPMC.
To contact the UPMC Heart Transplant Program, please call 412-648-6202 or toll-free at 844-548-4591. You can also fill out the UPMC Heart Transplant Program contact form to make an appointment or refer a patient.
Years of cardiovascular disease left Bob Lancia fearing he had run out of options. However, through the dedication of the Advanced Heart Failure and Heart Transplant teams, Bob received a ventricular assist device (VAD) and, eventually, a second chance at life through heart transplant.
Stacey unexpectedly learned she had cardiomyopathy and was in congestive heart failure. To support her heart until transplant, she received a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).
