Most heart transplants performed in a year, The Vanderbilt Transplant Center sets world record

January 22, 2025

Nashville, Tennessee, United States--The Vanderbilt Transplant Center, part of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), performed 174 adult and pediatric heart transplants in a year, setting the world record for the Most heart transplants performed in a year, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

"The heart transplant team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) broke a very exciting world record in 2024 after performing 174 successful heart transplants," the Local12 reports.

"“I have to say, even I was surprised at the final number of transplants,” said Vanderbilt's Ashish Shah, MD, professor and chair of Cardiac Surgery. “But this one year was really built on 10 years of hard work, innovation and our reputation to do difficult things.”

"According to a release from VUMC, the heart transplant team completed 36% more transplants than in 2023, and 10 of the operations were for pediatric patients."

"The Vanderbilt Transplant Center, part of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), has set a world record by performing 174 adult and pediatric heart transplants in a single year. This 2024 total represents an increase of 36% compared to 2023, and 10 of the patients receiving a new heart were young children," the Cardiovascular Business reports.

"VUMC has been known for years as a world leader in heart transplantation, using advanced techniques and innovative procedures to perform one successful implant after another. It first started implanting adult hearts back in 1985, opening its pediatric program just two years later.

"Each transplant is performed by a full team of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, intensivists, nurses, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, social workers, case managers, rehab specialists, financial coordinators, nutrition specialists, organ procurement coordinators, preservationists, operating room staff, cardiac anesthesiologists and nurses anesthetists, “among others.”

"A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed.

"The patient's own heart is either removed and replaced with the donor heart (orthotopic procedure) or, much less commonly, the recipient's diseased heart is left in place to support the donor heart (heterotopic, or "piggyback", transplant procedure).

"Approximately 3,500 heart transplants are performed each year worldwide, more than half of which are in the US.[2] Post-operative survival periods average 15 years." (Wikipedia)

"The largest gathering of heart transplant recipients is 189 and was achieved by Duke Heart transplant program (USA) at the Washington Duke Inn, Durham, North Carolina, USA, on 7 September 2014," the Guinness World Records says.

"Took place at an event to celebrate the 1,000 heart transplant at Duke University Medical Centre."

"The transplant team at Nashville-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center set a world record by performing 174 heart transplants in 2024," the Becker's Hospital Review says.

The achievement was generated by a 36% increase in heart transplants performed at the Vanderbilt Transplant Center between 2023 and 2024, 10 of which were pediatric procedures, according to a Jan. 13 news release from VUMC.

More than 500 patients from 15 states were referred to Vanderbilt for transplant consideration in 2024. The medical center has "advanced organ preservation technologies" and often accepts organs declined by other centers, the release said."