Texas Children's Heart Center performs more heart transplants than any other pediatric hospital in the nation

HOUSTON, April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last year, Texas Children's Heart Center performed 32 heart transplants, making Texas Children's Heart Transplant Program the most active in the nation in 2014. Texas Children's Heart Center is ranked #2 nationally in cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report. To learn more, visit the program's website.

"We are proud to be a leader in positive outcomes for children who are in need of a heart transplant," said Dr. Jeff Dreyer, medical director of Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy and Cardiac Transplantation at Texas Children's and professor of pediatrics-cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine. "This exciting accomplishment further illustrates a significant year for our team as we celebrated our 30^th anniversary and performed more transplants than any other year in our program's history."

Texas Children's Heart Transplant Program is one of the largest and most successful pediatric programs in the country, treating some of the rarest and most complex cases. Since 1984, the hospital has performed more than 325 heart transplants. Though there are a number of reasons that lead to heart transplantation in children, the most common reasons are cardiomyopathy resulting in end-stage heart failure, and end-stage or inoperable congenital heart disease that is not treatable by medicines or conventional surgery. Texas Children's team performs heart transplants on patients from newborn through adulthood.

"Our program is a prime example of how Texas Children's is a pioneer in all aspects of pediatric cardiovascular surgery," said Dr. Jeffrey Heinle, surgical director of the Heart and Lung Transplant Program at Texas Children's and associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Baylor. "Our medical subspecialists, surgeons, anesthesiologists and dedicated hospital staff's comprehensive approach to care allows us to bring hope to children and adolescents from all over the country."

Texas Children's Heart Center is on the cutting-edge of ventricular assist device (VAD) placement, which provides circulatory support until a transplant can be received. Texas Children's offers the best VAD tailored to each child's size, diagnosis and needs for both short- and long-term assistance.

Texas Children's Hospital has among the best transplant outcomes in the country. A first-class critical care team is essential for positive post-transplant outcomes, and Texas Children's has one of the busiest intensive care units in the nation, caring for children in need of transplantation both before and after their life-saving surgery. Our one year and three year patient survival rates are amongst the highest in pediatric care in the country. Outcomes for all major transplant programs in the country are published publically and can be viewed on the Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients. 

Additionally, Texas Children's is nationally certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For insurance providers looking for pediatric transplant programs, CMS certification serves as an easily recognizable designation that denotes the high level of care that can be expected. Families can expect that same level of high quality care as well and, if necessary, increased out of network support from their insurance company to receive care at Texas Children's. 

For more information about Texas Children's Heart Center watch this video.

About Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Center for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, a second community hospital planned to open in 2017. The organization also created the nation's first HMO for children, has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Contact: Lindsey Fox
832-824-2040
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SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital

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