Penn State Department of Health Celebrates 40 Years in Heart Transplant Medicine

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center celebrates 40th anniversary^th On February 22, the anniversary of providing heart transplants to patients in the community, a special event was held by the multidisciplinary heart transplant team. Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has performed more than 575 heart transplants since the program began in 1984.

April 3, 2024Penn State Health News

“Patients are truly what motivates our heart transplant program,” said Dr. John Boehmer, program director of the Advanced Heart Failure Program. “The long-term success we see in patients like Doug Girvan is why we work so diligently to provide our patients with the best care possible.”

Watch Doug’s video

Hershey Medical Center has the highest heart transplant survival rate in Pennsylvania.

Successful heart transplant

• More than 220 heart transplant patients are currently receiving follow-up care at the medical center.
• Hershey Medical Center’s oldest surviving heart transplant patient was 86 years old and received transplant number 61 in June 1989.
• Patient number 32, who received heart transplant at Hershey Medical Center in May 1986, is still alive.

multifaceted team

The heart transplant team includes surgeons, cardiologists, intensivists, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, social workers, financial counselors, and nutritionists. The Heart Transplant Coordinator guides the patient through every step of the transition, and the Treatment Services team assists with the “mobilization” of the patient post-transplant and prepares the patient to return home.

transplant schedule

The medical center is recognized worldwide as a pioneering center for heart and vascular care. Starting in the 1970s, researchers developed the first implantable cardiac assist devices. One year after starting the heart transplant program in 1984, the hospital became one of the first in the country to implant an artificial heart.

The medical center made history again in 2001 when it became the first to develop and implant the Arrow LionHeart, the first cardiac assist device with wireless power. Just over a decade after him, Hershey Medical Center became the first in Pennsylvania to send a patient home with a fully artificial heart while waiting for a donor heart.

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