CINCINNATI (September 25, 2025) – The Christ Hospital Health Network has recently completed more than 50 successful heart transplants in Cincinnati. This milestone comes less than three years after the first heart transplant was performed in November 2022.
In just a short amount of time, The Christ Hospital Health Network has become a destination for heart transplant in the Midwest,” said Debbie Hayes, President & CEO of The Christ Hospital Health Network. “For years, patients would have to travel elsewhere to get this life-saving procedure done. Now, thanks to our team at The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute, our cardiovascular program is complete and will continue to provide exceptional care.”
The one-year survival rate for heart transplant recipients remains at 97% which is above the national average. The transplant program also has a shorter wait list and shorter length of stay at the hospital. The entire transplant team boasts more than 50 years of combined experiences in heart transplant care.
“The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Program continues to grow and change the lives of the patients we care for,” said Dean Kereiakes, MD, FACC, MSCAI Chairman of The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute. “When we embarked on this journey, we knew we had a winning team by bringing on Dr. Geetha Bhat as Medical Director of The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Program and Dr. Rob Dowling, the Chris and Trey Heekin Family Endowed Chair for Cardiac Transplantation and Surgical Director of The Christ Hospital Heart Transplant Program.”
In April of 2024, the heart transplant program also received certification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) in recognition of the strength of the heart transplant team and excellent clinical outcomes. This certification allows for patients to move forward that are on government insurance plans and is often a requirement for those who are privately insured.
“This is a tremendous milestone accomplished by our experienced heart transplant team that continues to provide exceptional outcomes for advanced heart failure patients,” said Dr. Dowling. “Our success has allowed us to grow our team by recruiting nationally recognized physicians and surgical leaders in the field such as Michael Javorski, Ramesh Emani and Rachel Garcia.”
The transplant program is an extension of the nationally renowned heart failure and LVAD program that recently completed more than 400 LVAD implants led by Greg Egnaczyk, MD, Phd, the Frank and Margo Homan Family Endowed Chair for Heart Failure.
“Being Cincinnati’s heart hospital, we pride ourselves on the work done at The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute with the advancements in procedures, clinical trials and cutting-edge technology,” said Dr. Egnaczyk. “Our LVAD program was an integral part in supporting a robust heart transplant program. This is not possible without the entire cardiovascular care team and the work they put in every day at our network.”
For more information on the heart transplant program at The Christ Hospital Health Network including heart screenings, locations and second opinion requests, click here.
About The Christ Hospital Health Network
The Christ Hospital Health Network consists of an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn, a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, five ambulatory outpatient centers and dozens of medical offices throughout the region. For more than 135 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves. Made up for more than 1,300 physicians and more than 7,200 team members, our mission is to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional outcomes in an affordable way. The Network was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in the Cincinnati Region and named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list in 2025.