Heart Transplant

The members of our heart transplant team have been contributing to the advancement of heart failure care and heart transplants for decades. Some of our achievements include:

• The first successful pediatric heart transplant in 1984
• Primary investigators for the first clinical trial at NewYork-Presbyterian to demonstrate the benefit of ventricular assist device technology for patients with end-stage heart failure (the REMATCH Trial)
• One of the first heart transplant programs to offer an alternative list for older patients or those with multiple relative contraindications. The program matched patients with organs that might not otherwise be used and demonstrated excellent outcomes.
• Leaders in the field of immunosuppression and methods to prevent or treat organ rejection
• Leaders in the field for training one of the largest cohorts of transplant physicians and surgeons in the United States
• Leaders in the field of LVAD technology as a bridge to transplant, including the largest center for enrollment of the Heartmate III trial
• Major contributors to research on organ scarcity, socioeconomic disparity in transplant, and key policy changes to improve the equitable distribution of heart transplantation across the country
• Leaders in multi-center and single-center clinical trials and basic science to improve the care and longevity of patients with end-stage heart failure
• Dedicated center for research and clinical care in reversing the heart failure phenotype, with recovery and explanation of LVAD therapy on a case-by-case basis

Experts in LVAD technology

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are implantable devices that provide mechanical support to patients whose hearts are too weak to pump blood effectively. A VAD can help stabilize or improve your conditions while you're waiting for a heart transplant, enabling you to live a productive life at home while waiting for a heart donor. For more than 25 years, NewYork-Presbyterian has been a pioneer in the field of mechanical support for people with advanced heart failure.

Our surgeons have played an integral role in the development of many groundbreaking devices and perform one to two VAD implantations each week — one of the largest volumes nationwide — with survival rates that exceed the national average. To overcome long waiting lists for donor organs and other limitations, we have spearheaded an international effort to develop VADs that provide mechanical support for failing hearts around the world. Learn more about our LVAD program.

Some people with end-stage heart failure can have extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) — a way to artificially oxygenate the blood — at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center while waiting for a heart transplant. Our ECMO Program has been designated a Platinum Level Center of Excellence for the Excellence in Life Support Award from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization, an international nonprofit consortium dedicated to the development of novel therapies for people with severe heart failure who require mechanical support.

Skilled in managing complex cases

We consistently and successfully treat patients with serious conditions, such as cardiac amyloidosis, diabetes-related end-stage organ damage, and HIV. We offer several treatment options to patients at NewYork-Presbyterian who elsewhere may be considered too severe or complex to treat. Patients with complex medical conditions or multiple relative contraindications for transplant may be best served with LVAD therapy such as "destination therapy.” In some circumstances, a patient's condition improves on LVAD therapy such that a high-risk transplant might be considered reasonable and ethically appropriate.

Meet our team