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¹û¶³ÊÓƵ was the first healthcare organization in Hampton Roads to offer a heart transplant, and we have transplanted more than 300 patients since 1989. If your physician feels you are a viable candidate for a heart transplant, he/she will make a referral to the transplant team. A transplant coordinator will then conduct a very thorough evaluation.

Treatment Options for End-Stage Heart Disease

With the experience gained in the late 1970s and early 1980s, heart transplant surgery has evolved to become a treatment option for selected patients with end-stage heart disease. Most commonly, those transplanted have cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease.

Program Overview

The heart transplant program at ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ Norfolk General Hospital was established in 1989 to enhance the already well-established and nationally recognized cardiac surgery and renal transplant programs.

Surgeons at ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ Heart Hospital transplanted the 300th heart recipient in May 2010. The ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ Heart Transplant program celebrated its 20th anniversary in August of 2009.

A Team Approach

Our heart transplant team includes cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, a dedicated infectious disease specialist and immunologist, a nurse practitioner, certified transplant coordinators, pharmacists, social workers, and other professionals and support personnel dedicated to the care of heart transplant patients.

Patients, their families, and their referring physicians are important members of the team as well. We make every effort to include them in decision making throughout the heart transplant process. We encourage our patients to continue seeing their primary care physicians for ongoing care, including annual examinations, vaccines and other medical needs.