As advances in heart failure treatment continue, Baylor University Medical Center remains at the forefront and is still one of the largest programs in Texas. In 2018, surgeons on the medical staff performed 54 heart transplants and implanted a record 78 LVADs (left ventricular assist device). Dan M. Meyer, MD, recently appointed surgical chief of heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support at Baylor Dallas, implanted the first LVAD at Baylor in 1996, and recently implanted the 500th LVAD, making BUMC the first hospital in North Texas to reach this milestone.

“The HeartMate 3™ that we evaluated during the clinical trial has now been FDA approved for all patients with advanced heart failure as a bridge-to-transplant or destination therapy,” says Shelley A. Hall, MD, chief of transplant cardiology, mechanical circulatory support and advanced heart failure at Baylor Dallas. “I’m very proud of what our team has achieved.”