Since performing the first adult heart transplant in the U.S. in 1968, Stanford Health Care has been a leader in research and patient care. Year after year, the Stanford Health Care Heart Transplant Program excels in patient outcomes while making groundbreaking “firsts” in the field.

“Our program has a long tradition of pioneering new discoveries, always with the goal of improving patient safety and optimizing outcomes,” says Jeffrey Teuteberg, MD, section chief of Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation, and Mechanical Circulatory Support. “We see the benefits of these efforts in our rankings from national organizations, including the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).”

Stanford Health Care SRTR metrics exceed national averages

The SRTR publishes critical patient data from 151 transplant centers in the U.S. The latest report, released in January 2025, demonstrates the ongoing success of the Stanford Health Care Heart Transplant Program across several key performance measures:

• Transplant rate: Stanford Health Care has the highest transplant rate in California and Region 5 (California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico) and ranks in the top 10 nationwide.
• Time to transplant: The median time to transplant (0.5 months) is shorter than Region 5 (1.4 months) and the U.S. (2.6 months). Nearly 61% of patients received a transplant in 30 days, compared with 33% nationally.
• Organ offer-acceptance ratio: Stanford Health Care’s acceptance ratio (2.67) exceeds Region 5 (1.08) and the U.S. (1.00) and is among the top 3 centers nationally.
• Patient survival: Survival at 1 month, 1 year, and 3 years after transplant all exceed the national rates (1-month survival: 98.35% vs. 97.41%; 1-year survival: 92.94% vs. 92.20%; 3-year survival: 89.13% vs. 84.71%).
  

Revolutionary procedures push the limits of modern technology

Stanford Medicine surgeons are blazing a trail of innovation to improve heart transplantation and expand access to patients on the waiting list. Recent advances include:

• First beating-heart transplant: A Stanford Medicine team performed the first beating-heart transplant from a cardiac death donor in 2022. Typically, surgeons must stop the heart twice—once after cardiac death and again before transplantation. The beating-heart procedure eliminates the second stoppage and results in better organ function post-transplant. Having performed 38 successful procedures, Stanford Medicine surgeons are finding it leads to faster recovery and shorter hospital stays.
• First heart-lung transplant using a novel lung preservation device: In 2024, Stanford Medicine transplant surgeons were the first in the world to use BAROguard™ for an en bloc heart-lung transplant. BAROguard provides a stable temperature for both organs and constant lung pressure during transport. This technology is helping expand the pool of donor organs and allows organs from farther away to be accepted.

World-class destination for solid organ transplantation

Stanford Health Care has one of the largest heart transplant programs and the largest heart-lung transplant program in the country. “High surgical volumes typically translate to better patient outcomes for these highly complex procedures,” says Dr. Teuteberg.

In addition to heart and heart-lung transplants, Stanford Health Care is a destination for other transplant procedures, including:

• Kidney transplant: Stanford Health Care was home to the first kidney transplant in California in 1960. Today, the Kidney Transplant Program regularly exceeds national SRTR averages for patient and graft survival and time to transplant. Stanford Medicine kidney transplant researchers are also at the forefront of improving care, particularly in reducing the need for immunosuppressive drugs after transplantation.
• Liver transplant: The Liver Transplant Program has performed more than 2,000 adult liver transplants, including dual heart-liver procedures. The program’s outcomes routinely surpass national averages for graft and patient survival rates. Advances in patient selection guidelines, laparoscopic procedures, and immunosuppression are improving the outlook for patients needing lifesaving liver transplants.
• Lung transplant: Stanford Health Care’s Lung Transplant Program is one of the busiest in the U.S. and among the best for patient survival and getting a transplant sooner. The program offers options for patients turned away from other centers and was one of the first to perform lung transplants in patients affected by COVID-19.

Learn more about heart transplantation at Stanford Health Care

To find out more about how Stanford Health Care is advancing transplant medicine, please visit the Stanford Health Care Heart Transplant Program or call 650-723-5468. To refer your patients, please email the referral center or call 1-866-742-4811.

Image of William Hiesinger, MD (left) and Patpilai Kasinpila, MD (right), courtesy of Winston L. Trope.