When the heart is no longer able to function properly, a heart transplant may be necessary. Cardiac transplantation has proven to be a successful procedure for certain patients.
Integrated within our nationally recognized Heart and Vascular Institute, Advocate Christ Medical Center’s heart transplantation and mechanical assist device program gives new hope to critical patients who have exhausted all other options.
Christ Medical Center’s transplant team features nationally recognized transplant cardiologist, Dr. Geetha Bhat, who brings the experience of having managed more than 500 heart transplants patients. That and the experience associated with performing more heart surgeries than any medical center in Illinois have earned Christ Medical Center the reputation as a leader in cardiac care.
While waiting for a donor heart, doctors may implant a ventricular assist device (VAD) to help the heart pump blood, reducing the work that the patient’s heart has to do until a healthy heart is transplanted. Christ Medical Center’s cardiac surgeons have extensive experience with this procedure, as we are one of the top five medical centers nationally for such surgeries.
Our cardiac surgical team, led by renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Mark Slaughter, was the first in the United States to implant the HeartMate II® left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for destination therapy. Christ Medical Center was the first center in Illinois and second nationally to be certified by The Joint Commission as a ventricular assist device (VAD) program for destination therapy. And we were one of the original 69 centers to receive Medicare certification as a VAD program.
Learn more about Advocate Christ Medical Center's Heart and Vascular Institute.
