Nicklaus team performs Florida’s first partial heart transplant

The cardiovascular surgery team at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Heart Institute has successfully performed the first partial heart transplant in Florida.

With an implanted living valve, the procedure is designed to prevent the need for future open-heart surgeries as the valve grows while the child ages.

This is an alternative to prosthetic valves that do not have the capability to grow as the patient matures. Traditionally used animal-derived and mechanical prosthetic valves deteriorate over time or require the daily use of blood thinners, said Dr. David Kalfa, chief of cardiovascular surgery and co-director of the Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute.

These non-living valves also need to be replaced over time, leading to additional open-heart surgeries, and are associated with a decreased survival rate after implantation, he said.

“Partial heart transplants are redefining what’s possible in pediatric heart surgery,” Dr. Kalfa said. “By transplanting a living valve, we are not just repairing a defect. We are restoring function in a way that allows the heart to grow naturally.”

Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects, affecting nearly 1% of newborns in the US, or about 40,000 infants. Of those infants born with congenital heart defects, half will need an operation to fix or replace a valve.

Dr. Kalfa’s breakthrough procedure is supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health in collaboration with the Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, where he is a professor and researcher.

“Our goal is to move beyond temporary solutions like prosthetic materials and provide children with long-lasting, life-changing outcomes,” Dr. Kalfa said.