On Apr. 10, 2020, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) announced that a 68-year-old Oregonian was recovering at OHSU after receiving a heart transplant on March 27.

The procedure marked the first transplant at OHSU since the university’s Heart Failure and Transplant Program reactivated in August 2019.

The transplant occurred in accordance with federal guidance, which recommends proceeding with transplant surgeries involving organs from deceased donors during the coronavirus pandemic.

Since reactivating in August 2019, the OHSU’s Heart Failure and Transplant Program has also successfully implanted three ventricular assist devices, or electromechanical heart pumps called VADs, without complications.

Since performing Oregon’s first heart transplant in 1985 OHSU’s highly specialized team has transplanted more than 700 hearts. Today OHSU remains the only health system in Oregon with comprehensive support services for heart transplants.