Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation Program

Dr. Edward M. Gilbert is director of the transplant and heart failure program at the University. Dr. Gilbert works with Dr. Feras Bader, Dr. Josef Stehlik and the Heart Failure Team treating patients with heart failure. They work with the Cardaic Transplant Team to screen patients for transplantation. They are involoved in the care of inpatients before and immediately after transplant surgery. Daily outpatient clinics provide long-term management of heart failure and post-transplant patients.

Good News in Heart Failure Treatments Five million people have been diagnosed and are living with heart failure in the United States alone. Many people with advanced heart failure are living longer and bridging to transplant with the assitance of the Left Ventricular Assist Device or LVAD. This Device is surgically implanted into the failing heart ventricle and helps the heart pump blood.

Heart Failure

An innovative Heart Failure program provides inpatient and outpatient management for patients with severe heart failure, including stabilizing some who will eventually require cardiac transplantation. Innovative medical regimens, including the use of investigational drugs, are available for those patients unresponsive to conventional medical therapy. Important basic and clinical research on mechanisms and management of heart failure is performed by this group.

The University of Utah's Heart Failure Team is experienced in working with heart failure patients and understanding their needs. Kirk Volkman, N.P., teams up with the patient in managment of their health and heart failure symptoms. 

Heart Transplant

In 1985, the Division of Cardiology and the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery initiated a multidepartment, multihospital program under the name of the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals (UTAH) Cardiac Transplant Program, consisting of LDS Hospital, Primary Children's Medical Center, University Hospital, and the Salt Lake City Veterans Administration Medical Center. To date, 1000 cardiac transplantations have been performed. Immediate and long-term survival rates have been outstanding, and the program is a national leader in the development of effective, safe immunosuppression strategies.  

Learn more about our Heart Transplant program.

Contact Us

Heart Failure Clinic call (801) 585-5122 or email Jerri.
Heart Transplant call (801) 585-3693 or email Jean.