Transplant

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If you have been diagnosed with a condition that requires an organ transplant, we know that you will have concerns about your care. At Houston Methodist, our experienced team of transplant specialists will give you the answers and the advanced treatment that you need.

Houston Methodist offers patients from around the world an unmatched transplant expertise. We have a long tradition of excellence in transplant, dating back to Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, when he and his team conducted the first kidney transplant in 1963. Shortly afterwards in 1968, the first heart transplant in Texas, and one of the first such transplants in the U.S., was performed at our institution.Today, our goal is to offer the latest in organ failure management, groundbreaking treatments and transplant options. We pride ourselves in providing exceptional care to our patients and their families. Our transplant volumes are among the highest in the nation, and we are one of the few U.S. centers with a high level of expertise in transplant of all major organs. Thousands of patients are referred to the J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center each year, and we have earned top national rankings from Quantros’ CareChex® Hospital Quality Ratings Analysis. Additionally, we are:

  • The largest liver transplant program in Texas, and one of the largest in the nation, with extensive expertise in transplant for cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular cancer
  • A comprehensive kidney transplant center that offers both deceased- and living-donor transplant
  • A leading U.S. heart transplant site, having performed more than 1,000 heart transplants, and one of the largest left ventricular assist device (LVAD) programs in the nation
  • Among the top 10 lung transplant centers in the U.S.
  • Known for having excellent post-transplant survival rates that markedly exceed expected outcomes

Our Transplant Services

We are one of the largest and most successful transplant centers in the U.S. Our transplant services include:

  • Kidney transplant
  • Liver transplant
  • Lung transplant
  • Heart transplant, including LVAD surgery
  • Pancreas transplant

In addition, we perform more complex combined-organ transplants than many other transplant programs in the U.S. Our patients experience outstanding outcomes from these transplant procedures, including:

  • Double-lung
  • Heart-lung
  • Liver-kidney
  • Heart-liver
  • Lung-liver
  • Heart-kidney
  • Lung-kidney
  • Kidney-pancreas

Our center includes anesthesiologists and operating teams who specialize in transplant surgery. We also have specialized intensive care units (ICUs) for patients who have undergone transplant surgery. At every stage, you will be under the care of our dedicated transplant experts. We have earned an outstanding reputation for our transplant care. In some cases, we can perform transplant surgery for patients who are critically ill or patients in the early or late stages of their illness.

Living-Donor Transplants

Due to the shortage of organs and long waiting lists in the U.S., living-donor transplants have become a popular option for patients in need of a liver or kidney transplant. You may choose to donate an organ to a loved one if you are in good health and if our team believes the risk for you after surgery is low. We maximize the number of lives saved through multiple paired donation programs, in which a willing living donor can initiate a chain, or series of “swaps,” allowing patients who don’t have a matching living donor to get a transplant.

Living-donor transplant surgery can be quite complex, with age, health and other medical conditions of both the donor and the recipient factoring into the surgery’s success. Fortunately, our transplant team has vast experience with these and other complex transplant procedures.

Your Care After Transplant Surgery

Once you have received your transplanted organ, you will need to stay close to our transplant center for at least three months after surgery for needed follow-up care. You will receive long-term support from your surgeon and care team as you recover from surgery. When it is time for you to return to your home country, your care team will teach you how to take care of yourself, including how to take your required medications. We will also coordinate with your referring doctor so you experience a smooth transition of care when you return home.

Your Houston Methodist transplant coordinator will stay in touch with you to make sure you are well and can get needed screenings and lab tests completed. Your transplant team will review the results of these tests to confirm you are still in good health. You will need to come back to see your surgeon one year after your surgery, and every year thereafter so we can make sure you are healthy and experiencing no complications.

Take Advantage of Our Transplant Expertise

Contact our Global Health Care Services team to arrange an appointment with our transplant team, or explore how to become our patient. 

To learn more about Houston Methodist’s transplant services, visit our English-only Transplant page.