Heart Transplant Survival Rates at the Heart Institute

What is heart transplant survival?

"Heart transplant survival" is the length of time a patient is alive after receiving a new heart.          

Why do we measure heart transplant survival?

At the Heart Institute at Children's Hospital Colorado, we measure heart transplant survival in order to compare our program to others around the country. It helps us to identify any potential areas for improvement.

Survival is not the only measure that we routinely monitor. We also assess the use of steroid therapy, frequency of cardiac catheterization procedures, and use of immunosuppression -- all of which are factors affecting long term outcomes and the quality of life for our patients.

Our performance is better than the national average for three-year survival rates

Our outcomes are better than the national average when we compare rates at both one and three years after transplant. While short-term survival is an important measurement of our success, we focus equally on long term survival and overall quality of life.

How has the Heart Institute at Children's Colorado been able to improve our heart transplant survival rates?

We have improved our results primarily through the approach that "less is more." For example, we focus on non-invasive strategies for monitoring how the transplanted heart is working. As a result, this has led to a reduced number of heart catheterization procedures. In addition, we've achieved excellent long-term results with limited use of immunosuppressive and steroid medications. 

Learn more about the Heart Transplant Program at Children's Colorado.

About this data

What is the source of this data?

The heart transplant team at Children's Colorado maintains an internal database and compares our data to data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.     

Do we have a national benchmark?          

Yes, the national benchmarks are based on data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). Currently, the SRTR data is at least two cycles (or one year) late. The update due January 2013 has not yet been published. As a heart transplant center, we regularly submit data and compare our patient outcomes to several national societies, including the United Network for Organ Sharing, the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients and the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study.

How often will this data be updated?

Our internal database is updated frequently. Results of our transplant survival will be made available to the public as SRTR data is relesased. 

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Learn more about our outcomes at the Heart Institute.