BOSTON – Tufts Medical Center’s 17 adult heart transplants in 2012 were the most of any hospital in Massachusetts, according to statistics supplied by New England Organ Bank (NEOB). In the past five years, Tufts MC has performed more heart transplants than any other hospital in New England
In addition, the Medical Center remains one of the highest-volume ventricular assist devices (VADs) centers in the region. In 2012, Tufts MC implanted 36 VADs, which help to strengthen the function of a weakened or failing heart, as either a bridge to heart transplant or as a permanent therapy.
“These statistics demonstrate and reinforce that Tufts MC continues to be at the forefront of cutting-edge care for heart failure patients, especially with respect to surgical procedures such as heart transplants and ventricular assist therapies,” said David DeNofrio, MD, Medical Director of the Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Center at Tufts Medical Center. “We take great pride in offering the latest technological advances to our patients in a caring, patient-centered and family-focused environment.”
Tufts Medical Center’s Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Center was established in 1982 and performed its first heart transplant in 1985. Since then, over 320 cardiac transplantations have taken place at Tufts MC and the Center has become nationally and internationally renowned for developing state-of-the-art therapies, providing high-quality, personalized care and generating favorable outcomes. The Center’s multidisciplinary team of cardiac surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, anesthesiologists and many others, has been deeply involved in the creation of national standards for patient care during heart failure treatment.
Heart failure patients are placed on the transplant list if they are in end-stage heart disease, with a life expectancy of two years or less. Donor hearts are allocated based on the severity of the patient’s disease, blood type compatibility and body weight. Currently, there are approximately 80 Tufts MC patients on the transplant list, awaiting new hearts.
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About Tufts Medical Center
Tufts Medical Center is an exceptional, not-for-profit, 415-bed academic medical center that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and Tufts Medical Center. Conveniently located in downtown Boston, the Medical Center is the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine. Tufts Medical Center is the full-service children's hospital of Tufts Medical Center and the principal pediatric teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine. Tufts Medical Center is affiliated with the New England Quality Care Alliance, a network of more than 1,800 physicians throughout Eastern Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org.
Media Contact:
Jeremy Lechan
(617) 636-0104
jlechan@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
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