CHICAGO (CBS) — The University of Chicago Medicine performed two heart transplants this Thanksgiving Day – bringing the total for the year to a record 55.
The U of C said both patients were doing well following the transplants.
In a news release, the U of C also noted that the latest biannual data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients show that its heart transplant program is the best-performing in the country – based on key benchmarks for survival and how quickly patients can receive transplants.
The U of C had the best one-year survival ratio, the best transplant rate, and the shortest time to transplant for patients in need of a new heart.
“When you have the best survival and shortest wait time, you’re the best program,” Dr. Valluvan Jeevanandam, Director of the UChicago Medicine Heart and Vascular Center, said in a news release. “It’s a proud moment for everyone who’s made this happen, but it’s even more important for our patients, who are getting the best care in the world.”
The data showed that half of the patients on UChicago Medicine’s waiting list had a new heart in just over a month, compared with the national average of nearly seven months. The time to find a heart for 75 percent of UChicago Medicine patients on the waiting list was just under three months, while the waiting time for the next-closest program was more than a year.
The data also showed that UChicago Medicine has the highest percentage of African American heart transplants in the country, at 42.2 percent.