CHICAGO – University of Chicago Medicine heart transplant program named top performer in the United States
Only 14 of 143 heart transplant programs in the United States achieved a five-star rating. Of this group, the program had the best one-year survival rate, the best transplant rate, and the shortest transplant time for patients waiting to receive a new heart, according to the Scientific register of transplant recipients.
“We are working to find donor hearts,†said Dr Valluvan Jeevanadam.
SRTR has met the data over a rolling three-year period. Officials said the program had a 100% survival rate in the first year after a heart transplant.
Staff said they also lead the country in the proportion of African-American heart transplant recipients.
“We are very proud of this because we are on the South Side of Chicago. And we are able to provide this care to patients who are perceived to be disadvantaged in health care, â€said Dr Jeevanadam. “But here it’s the other way around. They are sitting down receiving transplants from the best program in the country.
United States Representative Bobby Rush knows firsthand what families undergoing transplants feel.
“Personal testimony. Not something that I read, heard. It’s something that I experienced as a keeper, â€said Rush. “Caring for my late wife. “
Staff said they are constantly working on ways to educate the public about heart health and disease prevention.
