A partial heart transplant replaces diseased heart valves using valves from a donor heart. Candidates include children who need a valve replacement, especially if families want to avoid mechanical valves and blood thinning medications or very small children with limited mechanical valve options.
Partial Heart Transplant
Living Heart Valve Replacement
In 2022, Duke pediatric heart surgeons performed the world’s first partial heart transplant, an innovative treatment for congenital heart diseases that affect heart valves. Also called a living heart valve replacement, partial heart transplantation is an effective and safe alternative to traditional heart transplantation and valve replacement surgeries. Today, fewer than a dozen U.S. centers offer partial heart transplants.
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About Partial Heart Transplant
About Duke Children's
Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center provide expert care in a child- and family-friendly environment.
Partial Heart Transplant Benefits
Research shows a partial heart transplant has significant benefits over other surgeries:
| Benefits compared to a full heart transplant | Benefits compared to artificial or animal valve replacement |
| Greatly reduces time spent waiting for a donor heart, since only the valves need to be viable for transplant. | Reduces the number of surgeries needed over your child’s lifetime, since living valves grow with your child. Artificial and animal heart valve implants do not. |
| Requires less immunosuppressant medication, which can cause significant long-term side effects, to prevent transplant rejection. | Does not require lifelong blood-thinning medications. |
Partial Heart Transplants Can Save More Lives
In some cases, partial heart transplants allow for “domino” heart transplants, in which one donor heart can save two or more lives.
For example, a complete donor heart is transplanted into recipient A, whose heart muscle is diseased but whose valves are still healthy. Then, recipient B receives healthy heart valves from recipient A.
This means more children can receive life-saving heart surgery in less time, and fewer donor hearts are discarded.
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Partial Heart Transplant: What to Expect
Step 1: Determine Eligibility
Your child’s eligibility for partial heart transplantation is based on their heart disease and need for valve intervention.
Step 2: Consultations
You and your child will meet with the following providers:
- A pediatric heart surgeon will explain the procedure and answer your questions.
- A team member will discuss what immunosuppression medications your child may need, in what doses, and for how long.
Step 3: Waiting for Donor Valves
Your child will be placed on a national waitlist that matches organ donations with recipients based on compatibility and medical urgency status.
Step 4: Surgery
Once a suitable donor match is identified, your child will undergo surgery within a few days.
Step 5: Recovery
Similar to other valve replacement surgeries, recovery from a partial heart transplant usually takes between 1 to 6 weeks. Your child will be prescribed medication as part of a personalized treatment plan to help protect their new valve.
#3 in Nation and #1 in NC for Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery
Duke Children’s is ranked the #3 pediatric cardiology program in the nation and the best in North Carolina by U.S. News & World Report.
Why Choose Duke
Unrivaled Expertise, Documented Success
Duke surgeons pioneered and performed the first partial heart transplant as well as the first living mitral valve replacement. We have performed more partial heart transplant surgeries than any other institution in the world. Data1 show our partial heart transplant patients experience excellent outcomes.
Comprehensive Follow-Up Care
Living tissue valves grow with your child but require ongoing evaluation. We perform regular echocardiograms and advanced imaging studies to ensure the transplanted valve continues to function properly and adapt as your child grows. This commitment to long-term follow-up translates to fewer repeat operations and better quality of life.
Long-Term Immunosuppression Care
Our comprehensive pediatric immunosuppression protocol helps your child’s body accept transplanted tissue while minimizing risks. We use advanced, evidence-based techniques supported by continuous monitoring of immune markers and drug levels. By detecting and addressing side effects early, we strive to reduce complications associated with long-term immunosuppressive therapy. Our team -- including infectious disease specialists and pharmacists -- adjusts your child’s medications as needed to maintain optimal outcomes.
Dedicated Pediatric Perfusion and Anesthesiology Experts
Complex pediatric heart surgery requires a team of experts who focus specifically on perfusion (blood circulation) and anesthesia. Our award-winning and board-certified perfusionists, who are certified by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion, expertly divert blood away from your child’s heart and lungs during surgery, while ensuring your child’s blood continues to deliver oxygen throughout their body. In addition, our specially trained pediatric anesthesiologists administer the right drugs at the right doses to children undergoing heart surgery.
Recognized for Surgical Excellence
We are one of the few U.S. hospitals verified as a Level I Children's Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons. To achieve Level I certification, centers must offer multiple medical and surgical specialties, with procedures for major and uncommon congenital anomalies and complex diseases that require significant coordination among numerous specialties.
Dedicated Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
Our pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU) is equipped with advanced technology and staffed 24/7 by a team of highly trained critical care specialists, nurses, respiratory therapists, and others who are experts in caring for critically ill children.
This page was medically reviewed on
01/05/2026
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