OHSU Heart Transplant Program Shut For Now Amid Staff Struggles

PORTLAND, OR – The heart transplant program at Oregon Health & Sciences University, the only one of its kind in the state, has been halted indefinitely, the hospital announced Friday. The move follows what the hospital had hoped would only be a two-week pause in its work.

In the past few weeks, the program has seen its four heart failure cardiologists either leave or announce that they would be leaving the program for other opportunities.

The decision by the hospital affects around 350 patients who are either pre- or post-transplant. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts.

"OHSU profoundly regrets the distress our patients are experiencing as a result of this action," the hospital says in a statement. "We are deploying every resource at our disposal to ensure they have immediate and ongoing care."

The hospitals other transplant programs – which focus on the kidney, liver, and pancreas – are not affected by the decision related to the heart program.

The program has 20 patients on its waiting list, five candidates who had been scheduled for evaluation to see if they could be in the program, and 327 patients in various stages of post-transplant care.

OHSU says that all 20 patients on the waiting list have decided to either go to or another center or decided to remain in the area, possibly hoping that OHSU is able to get is program back up and running.

Eight of the affected patients have already been accepted by the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, one of two programs in Washington that performs heart transplants. The program there, which is the third busiest in the country, say that they are prepared to accept more.

Other patients will likely end up at the University of California-San Francisco, which is working with OHSU on possible transfers.

Patients who move to another program will not have to worry about losing accumulated time on the wait list. They will keep their place on the list.

Meanwhile, the hospital is working with Providence, which has a heart program that focuses on all aspects of care except performing transplants. The hospital shut its heart transplant program about a decade ago after concluding that there was not a demand in the region for more than one.

Dr. Jill Gelow, one of the cardiologists who have recently left OHSU, is now at the Providence Heart Institute where she is one of five advanced heart failure specialists.

"We have begun discussions with OHSU about transitioning care for patients in the short term," Providence said in a memo sent to staff. "We know this presents both opportunities as well as challenges to our program, our hospitals, and our clinics. We are in the process of quickly putting in place the operational infrastructure to accommodate these anticipated increased volumes.

"We are committed to working alongside the team at OHSU to ensure there are no gaps in the care of these vulnerable patients, and that they have a care option that allows them to remain close to home and their communities."

OHSU says that during the transition, they have set up a hotline for patients as well as a dedicated email address.

Patients can call 1-833-674-8236, or send an email to cardiaccare@ohsu.edu. The OHSU cardiac care hotline will be staffed Friday, Aug. 31, through Friday, Sept. 7, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. After Sept. 7, hours of operation will be re-evaluated based on need.

OHSU says that while they remain committed to rebuilding the program, there is no timetable at this time. The hospital has to meet a series of requirements set forth by the United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages the nationwide transplant system, as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

OHSU's program, which started in 1985, was the location of nearly 50 transplants over the past two years.

There are nearly 4,000 people around the United States currently waiting for a heart transplant.

OHSU has one of the larger demands for heart transplants in the country. As of June 2017, there were 30 people on the waiting list. Approximately 15 percent of people on OHSU's waiting list died before they were able to receive a transplant.

That's about twice the rate nationwide.

Photo via OHSU.