Survival Rates of Heart Transplant Patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

The length of time that a heart transplant patient survives after surgery is a key measure of a quality outcome in heart transplant surgery. At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, one-month, one-year and three-year survival rates are tracked for transplants patients. These statistics are compared to national averages collected by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.

The table below compares key outcome measurements for heart transplants done at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with those for the nation as a whole.

Both the numbers and percentages of heart transplant patients surviving one month, one year and three years are highlighted. In addition, survival rates for heart transplant patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center are also compared to expected survival rates based on national experience and to survival rates expected for heart transplant patients with similar ages and health conditions.

The one-month and one-year survival rates reflect patients receiving their first transplant between July 1, 2004 and Dec. 31, 2006. The three-year survival rate reflects patients receiving their first transplant between Jan. 1, 2001 and June 30, 2003.

Heart Transplant* (Adults Age 18+) Cedars-Sinai Medical Center U.S. Data
Patient Survival for: 1 Month 1 Year 3 Years 1 Month 1 Year 3 Years
For transplants performed Jan 2004 - June 2006 Jan 2004 - June 2006 Jan 2001 - June 2003 Jan 2004 - June 2006 Jan 2004 - June 2006 Jan 2001 - June 2003
Number of transplants 61 61 81 4,143 4,143 4,399
Percent of patients surviving at the end of period observed** 98.36% 93.44% 88.89% 96.10% 90.63% 80.31
Expected, based on national experience*** 94.79% 87.91% 79.70%
Cedars-Sinai's survival rates compared to what is expected for similar patients Not significantly different Not significantly different Not significantly different
* These statistics reflect patients age 18 or older who had their first heart transplant. They do not include anyone who had a multiple organ transplant (such as a heart and lung transplant0.

** Observed survival rates use the Kaplan-Meier method to estimate outcomes for patients for whom complete follow-up is not expected. Because different cohorts are followed for each time period, it is possible for the reported three-year survival to exceed one-year survival.

*** The survival rate that would be expected for the patients served by the center, given the characteristic mix of the recipient and donor (age, disease and blood type, etc.) and the experience of similar patients in the United States as a whole.