We are committed to doing everything possible to treat our patients with advanced heart disease with the least invasive treatments possible. We only consider a heart transplant when we believe it offers the most reasonable opportunity for a patient to experience a better quality of life.
Because of this selectiveness, we are able to keep our patient volume at a modest level and minimize the amount of time that our heart transplant candidates spend on the waiting list. However, since we care for such a significant number of patients with advanced heart disease, we still have one of the largest heart transplant programs in New England, and, thus, one of the most experienced.
This selectiveness also leads to outstanding outcomes. By choosing the most appropriate candidates, we’ve been able to deliver outcomes that surpass national and regional benchmarks, including above-average short- and long-term survival rates and low rates of transplant failure and surgical infections.
Most of our patients who receive a new heart report an improvement in their quality of life. They are typically able to return to work within a few months of the operation and continue to do most everything that someone without heart failure at their age would be able to do. And patients who are dedicated to taking their medications and living a healthy lifestyle significantly improve their chances of maintaining this higher quality of life and of extending their life.
