Transplant

The experienced transplant team at IU Health performs more pancreas transplants than any other hospital in the country. Our surgeons are proficient at handling transplant cases across the spectrum, particularly those presenting the most complex medical and surgical challenges, including vascular disease re-transplant.

Pancreas transplantation is an important option for patients exhibiting type 1 diabetes with poorly controlled glucose levels and existing or impending end-stage renal disease. Our patients wait approximately 2.4 months for a donor pancreas, a fact that contributes to superior outcomes, consistently ranked above the national average.

With one of the highest transplantation rates in the U.S., the IU Health Transplant team has established itself as a premier liver transplant provider since performing its first liver transplant in 1988. Today, more than 90 percent of our listed patients receive a transplant, making us the highest volume provider in a five-state region.

We provide a full spectrum of liver disease and transplant services for adults and children with acute or chronic liver failure, primary liver malignancies and metabolic or genetic disorders, including:

• Cholangiocarcinoma
• Alcoholic cirrhosis
• Biliary cirrhosis
• Cryptogenic cirrhosis
• Hepatitis C
• Hepatomas (selected cases)
• Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)

Our surgeons are committed to finding viable donor livers for patients, resulting in shorter wait list times and providing patients with grafts earlier in the disease process. In addition, advanced surgical techniques translate into faster recovery times and longer, healthier lives.

The IU Health Transplant team is committed to finding each patient a viable donor. Transplant surgeons personally review each potential donor, resulting in shorter wait times for our patients and even more importantly, a better match.

Nationally ranked in the U.S. based on volume, our unparalleled experience comes from performing an average of 250 kidney transplants each year. We specialize in transplants for elderly and high-risk kidney patients and our kidney desensitization program is one of only a few steroid-free programs in the U.S., enabling us to perform kidney transplants for patients who were once considered ineligible. Our expertise in the care of both living and deceased donors, and transplant recipients, ensures the best possible outcome.

IU Health surgeons perform a high volume of lung transplants, giving them the expertise to deliver individualized and comprehensive care to each and every patient. Our team of pulmonary specialists work together to provide a continuum of care that begins with shorter wait times for critical lung transplant cases. This commitment to our patients’ well-being extends to their postoperative needs and includes pulmonary rehabilitation and ongoing transplant clinic visits following surgery.

Treatment is indicated for patients suffering from end-stage lung disease due to any of the following lung conditions:

• Interstitial lung disease (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, inflammatory, collagen vascular, occupational)
• Emphysema/COPD (including alpha-one antitrypsin deficiency)
• Cystic fibrosis
• Pulmonary arterial hypertension

As one of the few hospitals in Indiana to qualify under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to perform Lung Volume Reduction Surgery (LVRS), we’re helping patients with severe emphysema to breathe more easily.

Since 1982, the team at IU Health Transplant has been performing heart transplant surgeries. Partnering with IU Health Cardiovascular, we provide coordinated, comprehensive care beginning and ending with our patients’ needs in mind. From our dedicated, full-service transplant center, to our heart failure program, Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) program, and heart transplant rounding service, our specialists strive to provide exceptional care and the best possible outcomes.

Situations where heart transplant may be indicated include:

• Cardiomyopathy
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Valvular Heart Disease
• Congenital Heart Disease
• Retransplant for graft failure

The highly skilled pediatric transplant team at IU Health provides comprehensive, specialized care for children needing heart, intestine, multivisceral, liver and kidney transplants. IU Health physicians are committed to providing comforting, personable care to patients and their families throughout the entire process. Furthermore, specially trained coordinators and nurses ensure compassionate, quality care is provided during all aspects of treatment. If your child is believed to be a suitable candidate for a transplant, our dedicated care team will work with you and your family to determine the risks and benefits associated with the surgery.