St. Joseph's program will be the first in the Valley
St. Joseph's is launching the Valley's only pediatric heart transplant program.
"St. Joseph's transplant program is unique to the state because we are focused on pediatric heart failure and transplantation," says John Nigro, MD, heart transplant program director at St. Joseph's. "Our goal is to work with the community and regional hospitals and physicians to provide a local option for pediatric heart transplantation. We've established all the necessary elements and are ready to proceed with the program."
In mid-November, St. Joseph's received approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the non-profit organization that coordinates transplant activity in the United States. St. Joseph's expects to perform approximately five heart transplant per year, making it a medium-sized program when compared to other major pediatric heart transplant centers in the U.S.
Pediatric heart transplants are among the most complicated procedures, and patients require a lifetime of care. A heart transplant is recommended for children who have serious heart dysfunction and cannot be managed with medications or other surgeries. Doctors at St. Joseph's say this can affect children from only a few days old into adulthood, and the program is prepared to support the needs of all of these patients.
In Arizona, 10 to 20 children per year are candidates for heart transplantation. Currently, the University Medical Center Tucson and Mayo Clinic Arizona have adult heart transplant programs with some pediatric components.
This will be the second transplantation program launched at St. Joseph's. In April 2007, the hospital completed the Valley's first lung transplant. Since then, the Heart & Lung Institute has completed 38 lung transplants.
