Ottawa Heart Institute completes 700th heart transplant
Posted Oct 27, 2020 02:07:47 PM.
The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) is marking a major milestone.
The UOHI team of doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses has successfully completed the 700th heart transplant in the institute's history.
“Something extraordinary happened at the Heart Institute – we gave a second chance at life to our 700th heart transplant patient,” said Dr. Thierry Mesana, the Heart Institute's president and CEO. “I wish to commend the remarkable leadership of Dr. Marc Ruel, head of the Division of Cardiac Surgery; Dr. Sharon Chih, director of the Heart Transplant Clinic; Dr. Lisa Marie Mielniczuk, director of the Heart Function Clinic; Dr. Hadi Toeg, the cardiac surgeon who performed the transplant; and their outstanding teams for achieving this important and incredible milestone'
“Transplanting a heart is no small task. It is an immensely complex procedure that requires collaboration across disciplines and a significant level of technical skill and ability,” said Dr. Marc Ruel. “I am elated for our transplant team and especially for our patient, who is now comfortably recovering in hospital with a new heart and a new lease on life.”
The milestone comes more than 35 years after cardiac surgeon and founder of the UOHI, Dr. Wilbert Keon, performed the first heart transplant in Ottawa.
The Heart Institute, which performs as many as 36 heart transplants each year, helps set the standard for transplant procedures and protocols across the country as a leading member of the Canadian Cardiac Transplant Network.
