Heart Transplant Services

UPMC's Heart Transplant Program is among the most recognized and experienced centers in the world, performing more than 1,700 adult heart transplants. Our heart transplant experts evaluate and treat many high-risk patients with complex care needs while delivering excellent outcomes that exceed national averages.

Our program has been recognized by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) as a top transplant program based on outcomes. UPMC is a national leader in 90-day survival rate following heart transplantation and is among the top nationally for patient survival rates at 30 days and one-year post transplant.

Start Your Transplant Journey

What We Offer

 Our heart transplant program offers comprehensive care, including: 

• Advanced ventricular assist device (VAD) therapy — Our experts have pioneered VAD technology for more than 40 years. Our surgeons implanted the second Jarvik Artificial Heart as a bridge to transplant in 1985. Additionally, UPMC was the first medical center to discharge a patient with a VAD in 1990. Since then, we have implanted more than 1,300 VADs.
• Bloodless heart transplantation — We now offer heart transplants for adult patients who need a transplant but cannot or choose not to receive blood components, including plasma, platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells. From transplant evaluation to posttransplant care, our team is here to support patients every step of the way.
• Heart transplant transition care for children and teens — Our experts collaborate with the Heart Transplant Transition Program at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to support teens and young adults as they transition to adult care.
• Internationally recognized care from an experienced team — With a rich history that includes more than 1,700 transplants over more than 40 years, UPMC is among the most experienced programs in the world. Our team supports you from your first heart transplant consult through world-class treatment and post-transplant care.
• Multiorgan transplantation — For patients requiring multiple organ transplants, the heart transplant team collaborates with experts across UPMC Transplant Services to perform heart-lung, heart-liver, and heart-kidney transplants. UPMC performed the world’s first heart-liver transplant in 1984, and the world’s first heart-liver-kidney transplant in 1989. UPMC also performed the nation’s first beating heart transplant.
• Outstanding outcomes that exceed national averages — Our heart transplant program is one of the few that has heart recipients living 30 years or more after transplant. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) reports UPMC as the national leader in 90-day survival rate, and among the top nationally for survival rates at 30 days and one-year post-transplant.
• Pioneering heart research — Our experts' work has led to groundbreaking advances in heart transplants, helping more people than ever before.
• Second-opinion services — UPMC experts offer second-opinion services even for those who have been deemed high risk and were turned down for a transplant at another center.

What Conditions Do We Treat? 

You may be a heart transplant candidate if you have severe heart disease caused by:

• Advanced heart failure — When your heart cannot pump enough blood to support your body's needs.
• Arrhythmia — An irregular heartbeat which, if left uncontrolled or untreated, could cause the heart to wear out or worsen other heart conditions.
• Cardiomyopathy — When your heart muscle becomes diseased, enlarged, or rigid, causing your heart to have difficulty pumping blood effectively.
• Congenital heart disease — A heart defect that is present at birth.
• Coronary artery disease — A narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood and nutrients to your heart.
• Heart valve disease — A disorder that causes one or more of your four heart valves to not work correctly.

Who’s Eligible for a Heart Transplant?

You may be eligible for a heart transplant if you have a serious heart condition that affects your life expectancy and no longer responds to medical treatment.

You may be eligible for a heart transplant if you:

• Are younger than 69 years old.
• Have been diagnosed with an end-stage heart disease, such as cardiomyopathy or coronary artery disease.
• Have been given a prognosis that suggests you have a risk of death within the next year if a heart transplant is not performed.

Who is not a candidate for a heart transplant?

Although a heart transplant may be a life-saving option, not everyone is a candidate for the operation. You may not be a candidate for a heart transplant if you have other serious health conditions, such as:

• Active infection.
• Alcohol or drug abuse.
• Cancer.
• Kidney or liver disease.

What Heart Transplant Services Do We Offer? 

We recognize that it can be overwhelming to learn that you or a loved one may need a heart transplant. That’s why our team offers complete heart transplant care, from evaluation to post-transplant.

Services we offer include:

Evaluation

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.

Find out if you are a candidate for a heart transplant.

Preparing for a heart transplant

As you start your heart transplant journey at UPMC, we'll assign you a transplant coordinator. They will guide you through each stage of your heart transplant journey. 

Waiting for a heart transplant

Heart transplant 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.

Learn more about the heart transplant waiting list.

Heart transplant surgery

After a heart becomes available and your transplant coordinator calls you, you must get to the hospital right away. The amount of time for a heart transplant depends on the complexity of your case and whether you need other procedures.

Learn more about how to prepare and what to expect during surgery.

Care after your heart transplant

After your surgery, you will begin to recover and go through post-operative care.

What Can I Expect? 

After your doctor refers you for heart transplant services, your care team will:

• Closely look at your medical history and assess the risks and benefits of a transplant.
• Work with your referring doctor to get a precise picture of your heart disease and ability to stick to the treatment plan.
• Assign a credit analyst and case manager to discuss payment options for your transplant.

Receiving a heart transplant can be costly. Our team is here to help you manage the financial costs and help you find financial aid if you need it.

The transplant team may ask you to continue or adjust your current medical treatment before your heart transplant.

If you're not a heart transplant candidate, we may refer you to the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute for care.

Your heart transplant team

If you have a heart transplant at UPMC, you'll have a whole team of health care experts taking care of you.

Your care team may include:

• Heart transplant coordinator — Provides care and education before and after your heart transplant.
• Social worker — Meets with you after your heart transplant to discuss long-term coping strategies and adjustments.
• Transplant surgeon — Performs your heart transplant.
• Ventricular assist device (VAD) coordinator — Teaches you about and how to use the VAD.

Contact Us

UPMC Heart Transplant Program
UPMC Presbyterian, Suite C-900
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

• Phone: 412-648-6202 or toll-free 844-548-4591
• Email: cttransplant@upmc.edu
• Fax: 412-864-5913

For patients

To make an appointment for a heart transplant evaluation, call, email, or complete our online form.

For physicians

Contact UPMC about transplant referral.

By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-12-09.