Stanford Children’s Health celebrates 500th pediatric heart transplant at Stanford | News Center

Stanford Children’s Health, with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford at its center, is celebrating the 500th pediatric heart transplant at Stanford. The milestone has held special significance since Stanford was the site of the first successful human heart transplant in the United States, performed by cardiothoracic surgeon Norman Shumway, MD, PhD, in 1968.

This holiday season, 14-year-old Mackenzie Collins, the 500th pediatric patient to receive a heart transplant at Stanford, is celebrating heart health at home with her family. The teen was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy earlier this year by cardiologists at the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center.

“It was a huge shock to us because she was always active, playing basketball and running cross country. She’s a girl who spends a lot of time outdoors,” said Tiffany Collins, Mackenzie’s mother. “For her to become such a success as the 500th transplant, it’s such a miracle.”

“While it may sound strange that Mackenzie and her family were unaware of her heart failure, this is quite common in teens with dilated cardiomyopathy,” says David Rosenthal, MD, director of the heart failure and heart transplant program at Stanford Children’s Health. known as pediatric advanced cardiac therapies. “Mackenzie’s heart failure was already severe, so she was included in our PACT program.”

It took a multidisciplinary team of pediatric cardiac surgeons, transplant cardiologists, nurses, pediatric anaesthesiologists, surgical technicians, and transport and transplant specialists to complete the successful six-hour open heart transplant.

“Our culture has always been to work together, to achieve the best possible outcome for patients, which to me is why this is such a phenomenal heart program,” said Rosenthal, who is also a professor of pediatric cardiology at Stanford University. . Medical Faculty.

For nine consecutive years, the Stanford Children’s Health Pediatric Transplant Center has performed the largest number of pediatric heart transplants in California and has earned a national reputation as a leader in pediatric single and multiple organ transplants. This enables cardiologists and surgeons to tackle the most difficult and complex cases, including many rejected by other centers, and continue to perfect heart transplant and ventricular assist device procedures – providing young patients with the best possible results, one heartbeat at the same time.

The 500th heart transplant milestone is an opportunity to celebrate Stanford’s longstanding commitment to pediatric heart transplantation.

“It is incredibly gratifying to have achieved this achievement, and it is an achievement that speaks to our longevity as well as our volumes and expertise,” said Rosenthal. “Remembering the children we’ve helped motivates us to continue to provide the very best care for children with heart failure and make progress.”