Prince Charles, Bris

24th July 2007

Prince Charles Hospital CardiothoracicTransplant Unit Profile

Prince Charles Hospital is Australia’s largest Cardiothoracic Centre and provides a full range of cardiothoracic transplant options and management of end stage heart and lung failure.

Cardiac transplantation commenced in 1990 and the unit has now performed over 290 heart transplant procedures. Lung transplantation commenced in 1996 and the unit has now performed over 150 of these procedures. This includes heart/lung, single and bilateral lung, and also Australia’s only three combined heart/lung/liver transplants.

Complimenting the transplant service are Specialist services in acute and chronic heart failure (including a ventricular assist device programme), a very busy Pulmonary Hypertension Unit, an end stage emphysema and lung volume reduction service, an interstitial and vasculitic lung disease referral programme, and an interventional bronchoscopy programme.

Dr Keith McNeil, the Head of Transplantation has occupied that position for the past six years but is moving on later in 2007 leaving the Heart Transplant Unit in the capable hands of Dr Deborah Meyers, Dr George Javorsky and Dr David Platts and the Lung Transplant Programme under the guide of Dr Peter Hopkins and Dr Fiona Kermeen. On the surgical side of things, Dr Peter Tesar heads up the Heart Transplant and the ventricular assist device programmes and Dr Graeme Hart the Lung Transplant Programme with Dr Bruce Thompson, and Dr Robert Tam assisting in both specialities.

Pivotal to the success of the transplant programme are our Transplant Co-ordinators Jo Maddicks-Law, Kate Wright and Maureen Rogers. In addition there is an extended multi-disciplinary network of ward staff, retrieval staff, operating room staff including Anaesthetists and Perfusionists, all of whom contribute to the excellent results achieved by the unit.

Referrals for transplantation should be directed to the transplant office, which can be contacted via the hospital switch board (07 3139 4000) or via fax (07 3139 5696). Additionally, referrals for the management of any advanced or end stage heart and/or lung disease can be made to individual consultants via either the Transplant Office, or directly via the Private Practice Outpatient Office ( 07 3139 5207).