The Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program is committed to providing the best and most appropriate care for our patients with advanced heart disease.
Central to that vision is doing everything possible to effectively improve heart function without a heart transplant. We carefully evaluate and work with patients to determine whether a heart transplant is the most appropriate treatment for their condition and goals. If medications and lifestyle changes aren’t successful in stabilizing a patient’s condition, newer technologies, such as ventricular assist devices (VADs) and total artificial hearts, often offer viable temporary or long-term alternatives to transplantation.
However, when a heart transplant is considered to be the best solution for a patient with advanced heart disease, we offer a program that delivers comprehensive, compassionate, safe, and expert care. We work with patients and their families to develop an individualized care plan and to make each step of the transplant process as comfortable as possible.
Our program is the oldest and largest in New England, as well as one of the most experienced in the country. Since performing the first and second successful heart transplants in New England in 1984, we have performed more than 600 transplants. More importantly, our heart transplant outcomes consistently exceed regional and national averages – a testament to our mission of providing the best and most appropriate care.
Instrumental to that success is our passionate and experienced multidisciplinary team. From patient screening, preoperative monitoring, and donor procurement to surgery and post-operative care, our diverse team – including cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, clinical nurse specialists, psychiatrists, pharmacists, and dietitians – continuously works hard and works together to do everything possible for our patients.
We also are pioneers in developing new therapies and screening techniques and enhancing care practices for our patients with advanced heart disease. Through clinical trials and evidence-based research, we’re able to lead and provide today’s most advanced evaluation and treatment.
