While the COVID-19 pandemic forced some transplant centers to close, it was a busy year for Stanford (Calif.) Health Care, where surgeons performed a record 86 heart transplants in 2020, the health system said Feb. 1.
"We transplanted more patients, we transplanted them faster and we have been getting great outcomes," said Jeffrey Teuteberg, MD, chief of heart failure, cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Stanford Health Care. "It's a fantastic combination."
In addition to recent efforts to improve survival rates and cut transplant patients' wait time, the health system said its record-setting year is partly related to increased communication with regional heart centers, which led to more patient referrals.
Stanford Health Care has averaged about 65 heart transplants annually in recent years.
"I think we have gotten better at selecting patients, managing them, getting through the transplant process and monitoring them in the post-operative period," Dr. Teuteberg said.
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