Our team supports patients as they begin a new life with a lifesaving organ. We understand the challenges, whether it’s an LVAD that impacts daily living, managing medications, or missing out on what you love because you don’t feel well.
Support That’s Just Down the Road
Patients more likely to find comfort and support when they can get transplant care close to home. Our convenient locations in Greater Cincinnati help us provide heart transplants a few minutes—not hours—away.
Click below to learn more about where you can find compassionate care.
A diagnosis that leads to transplant can feel overwhelming. We understand what you’re experiencing and are here to support you and your family every step of the way. Our experienced team includes experts on everything from your surgery to your medication to your emotional well-being.
To schedule an appointment, please call the Heart Transplant team at 513-584-5174.
Answers to Your Transplant Questions
As you research heart transplant programs, be an advocate for your own health. It’s common to ask for second opinions. Don’t feel like you’re being disloyal to your own physician when you ask for one. Most welcome the discussion and verification. Find out about dual listings, which allow you to register at two or more transplant hospitals. Since candidates at hospitals local to the donor’s hospital are usually considered ahead of those who are farther away, multiple listings may increase your chances of receiving a local organ offer.
It’s your body. Take charge.
Your wait time depends on the severity of your illness. We do our best to match the perfect organ to you based on the blood type, size and condition of the organ.
We know waiting for a transplant can be stressful, worrisome or even exciting. Our team works with you and your family to evaluate you quickly. We then identify whether you need advanced heart therapies, such as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), or a more immediate heart transplant. We’re committed to doing everything we can to keep you comfortable and to make wait times as short as possible.
As you research your transplant, here are some questions United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) recommends asking:
What policies apply to the transplant I need? How do I learn about potential new policies?
What factors are considered in organ matching and allocation?
How does the matching process work?
What do I need to do to be considered for a transplant?
How do I get on the waiting list?
How do I know that I am listed?
Can I list at more than one hospital?
What questions should I ask the transplant team?
Are there organizations that can help patients afford the cost of transplantation?
How long will I have to wait?
How will they find the right donor for me?
How are organs distributed?
What makes this transplant center different from others?
What experience does my transplant team have?
Experience and Expertise
Our team of experts have unparalleled experience in left ventricular assist devices, or LVADs. Sometimes called a “bridge to transplant,” the LVAD is surgically implanted to support a failing heart while you wait for a new one.
UC Health researchers pioneered the reduction of steroid-type drugs in transplant patients, decreasing the many negative side effects associated with prolonged steroid use.
UC Health is a recognized leader in research, including studies of new medications to prevent and treat rejection and decrease side effects, and new immunosuppressive agents and steroid-free immunosuppression.
Your heart deserves the best care. That’s why we bring all our clinical care, medical research and technological advances together. It helps to create an environment for our specialists and subspecialists to collaborate.
Getting a transplant closer to where you live makes a big difference. It means not only are you closer to the comforts of home, family and friends, but it also helps cut costs and time. Pre- and post-surgical appointments and treatment can be significant, and being able to visit us quickly and easily improves your journey.
Advancements in treatment and transplantation happen every day. As an academic health system, we connect with other leading research hospitals to share ideas and technology and bring them to life in Greater Cincinnati—quickly.
We are close partners with referring physicians. We keep them informed and engaged. Our provider toolbox allows us to share health indicator information quickly and easily. This gives physicians access to a patient’s health levels, which may change often and can impact their need for a transplant.
Call for referral information
At UC Health, we lead the region in scientific discoveries and embrace a spirit of purpose—offering our patients and their families something beyond everyday healthcare. At UC Health, we offer hope.
