Building a Better Bridge to Transplantation

In an effort to provide both longevity and improved quality of life for patients with end stage heart failure, the Lutheran Heart Center has provided heart transplantation services since 1985 and artificial heart technology since 1987. Since then, there have been over 247 heart transplants performed. The heart transplant program at Lutheran Hospital has never believed in doing things the easy way. From the outset, medical professionals at the Lutheran Heart Center recognized that older and more complex patients should not be denied the benefits of heart transplantation. Consequently, the program was one of the first to accept transplant recipients who had a history of previous malignancy or who suffered from diabetes.

For information about becoming an organ donor, please contact the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization at (260) 436.6023 or visit iopo.org.

Heart recipient criteria

  • Class IV cardiac status-angina, arrhythmia or CHF—that doesn't respond to conventional medical and surgical management
  • No other systematic illness, organ failure or vascular disease that would prevent recovery from surgery or affect long-term survival
  • No active infection or malignancy
  • Reactive pulmonary vasculature (patients will be tested)
  • Psychological stability
  • No history of recent alcohol or drug abuse, cigarette smoking within 3 - 6 months, severe depression or medical noncompliance

If you are a prospective transplant candidate and want an idea of what to expect should you be accepted for transplantation and choose to proceed, please read our A Second Chance manual—to view this document, you'll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. It will provide a source of information for patients and families during and after transplantation.

For more information about Heart Transplantation at Lutheran Hospital, contact the Lutheran Heart Center (260) 435-7434 or (800) 444-2001 Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.