Heart Transplant Services
Knowing you or a loved one needs a heart transplant is overwhelming. Lutheran Hospital's heart transplant team understands this and works together to deliver clinical expertise, emotional support and ongoing education before, during and after a heart transplant.
Multidisciplinary Care
Heart transplant patients are cared for by a healthcare team who coordinates ongoing treatment and support through each step of the transplant journey. This team is led by board-certified specialists with extensive experience in innovative cardiac care:
Hannah Copeland, M.D., FACS, FACC
Cardiovascular Surgery, ECMO, Heart Assist Devices (LVAD), Heart Transplantation
Asim Mohammed, M.D.
Advanced Heart Failure, Heart Assist Devices (LVAD), Transplant Cardiology
These physicians and their patients are supported by a network of individuals, including:
- Transplant coordinator
- Social worker
- Financial coordinator
- Pharmacist
- Dietitian
- Cardiopulmonary rehab therapist
First Steps to Heart Transplant
When medications and therapies are no longer effective in treating advanced heart failure or certain other heart conditions, the next step may be a heart transplant.
A pre-evaluation enables patients to learn more about heart transplant services and allows the transplant team to determine if the procedure will be beneficial. The evaluation consists of specialized testing and consultations with members of the heart transplant team.
- The transplant coordinator arranges the evaluation and provides education.
- The heart transplant social worker provides a psychosocial evaluation and counseling.
- The dietitian provides nutritional evaluation and counseling.
- The financial coordinator reviews each patient's insurance and financial responsibilities.
The transplant center's Medical Review Board reviews each completed evaluation to determine if the patient will benefit from transplantation. In some cases, further testing or consultation is required. Patients approved for heart transplant can then decide if they want to be placed on the waiting list for a donor heart.
Heart Transplant/VAD Referral and New Evaluation Form