Highlights and Milestones

Pediatric Heart Transplant Program

• Program inception: 1991.
• Availability of extracorporal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and state of the art pulsatile mechanical support.
• Linked to one of the top ten pediatric heart programs in the nation, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin's Herma Heart Center.
• Recent actuarial survival analysis demonstrates excellent results with most patients having no limitations to normal childhood activities.
• Youngest patient – 7 days old. Longest survivor is 12 years old and thriving.
• Pioneered the systematic use of the virtual crossmatch for sensitized pediatric heart transplant recipients.
• In 2006, The Pediatric Heart Failure program was developed to promote early recognition and optimize care of children with advanced pediatric heart failure who may need transplantation services.

• Program inception: May 1988.
• First successful liver and lung transplant in the United States in 1995.
• Patient mortality and graft survival better than national average.
• Youngest patient – 3 weeks old.
• Successful transplants for Maple Syrup Urine Disease and other metabolic liver diseases.

• Program inception: December 1986.
• Fifty percent of transplants are living related; successful transplant program for non-living related donors.
• Working with patients who have complex immunologic barriers due to HLA compatibility.
• First successful pediatric heart-kidney transplant in the Midwest.  Successful patient with liver transplant, bone marrow transplant and kidney transplant.
• Patient mortality and graft survival better than national average.
• Youngest patient – 14 months old.