The Department of Surgery and the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery celebrated a landmark in transplantation surgery on Dec. 30 with the first donation after circulatory death (DCD) heart transplant performed at UW Hospital, making it one of only three centers in the country to perform this type of surgery. Thanks to the team of Malcolm DeCamp, Jr., MD, Chair of the Cardiothoracic Division, Jason Smith, MD and Amy Fiedler, MD, patients like the recipient of the heart transplant will have a second chance at life.
UW Health is one of only five centers nationwide participating in a clinical trial of the Transmedics Organ Care System—a device that circulates warm, oxygenated blood through the heart after it’s been recovered from the donor. Once approved, the device could increase the number of hearts available to people on the waiting list by up to 30 percent.
Congratulations to the Department of Surgery and UW Health for achieving this breakthrough in heart transplantation. Read more about the milestone in the Wisconsin State Journal and in this news release.