For patients with heart failure that has not responded to other treatments, Duke’s transplant team provides an extensive evaluation to determine if transplant is the best treatment option.

Heart transplantation is considered for individuals only after all other available treatments have been tried, and optimized, and the therapies have failed to prevent further deterioration.

More than 820 heart transplants have been performed at Duke since the program began in 1985. With transplant rates significantly higher than the national average, our program has been named one of the country’s highest-performing heart transplant centers by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Improvement in technique and outcome have greatly expanded the criteria for heart transplant recipients so that patients into their mid-70s may be considered for transplant. At Duke, transplantation is available to more patients -- including some who do not meet traditional transplant criteria.

Once a referral is processed, a thorough evaluation is performed to determine the severity of the patient’s heart disease and the health of his or her other body systems.

Duke’s heart transplant team consists of:

• Transplant cardiologists
• Transplant surgeons
• Anesthesiologists
• Pathologists
• Nurse coordinators
• Financial coordinators
• Psychologists
• Social workers

Other disciplines that provide support include pharmacy, infectious disease, nutrition, physical therapy, and psychiatry.

Waiting Times

The median waiting time for cardiac transplantation at Duke is two months, but an individual's waiting time will depend on multiple factors including blood type, body size, and the severity of the illness.

Duke performs between 40 and 50 transplants each year. More heart transplants would be performed if there were a greater availability of organs.

Once accepted into the program, the potential recipient’s name is entered into a national waiting list. Patients should expect to wait an average of six months from the time of listing.

The heart transplant patient guide booklet is issued to patients or patient families once they are admitted to the Heart Transplant Center at Duke.

The booklet gives information about heart function, the transplant process, and the course of recovery. However, it is not designed to answer every question, and you are encouraged to ask your physician or transplant coordinator any additional questions you might have.

Transplant Coordinators

• Ann Gray, RN, FNP
• Shannon Lamb, RN, MSN
• Tara Miller, FNP-BC, MSN
• Brad Persing, RN, MSN
• Melissa Williams, RN, BSN

Transplant Social Worker

• Kate Artin, MSW, LCSW

Physicians

Physicians offering this service include:

• Carboni, Michael P.
  • Pediatrics / Pediatrics-Cardiology
• Felker, G. Michael
  • Medicine / Medicine - Cardiology
• Hernandez, Adrian F.
  • Medicine / Medicine - Cardiology
• Jaquiss, Robert D.B. "Jake"
  • Surgery / Cardiovascular & Thoracic
  • Pediatrics
• Lodge, Andrew J.
  • Surgery / Cardiovascular & Thoracic
  • Pediatrics / Pediatrics-Chairman Office
• Milano, Carmelo A.
  • Surgery / Cardiovascular & Thoracic
• Rogers, Joseph G.
  • Medicine / Medicine - Cardiology
• Simeone, Alan A.
  • Surgery / Cardiovascular & Thoracic

Locations

This service is available at:

• Duke University Hospital
  2301 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27710