Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure & Heart Transplant Program
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Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure & Heart Transplant Program
The Heart Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital provides comprehensive care to infants, children and even adults with heart failure. Under the direction of Dr. Patrick McConnell, Program Surgical Director, the Heart Failure and Heart Transplant program at Nationwide Children’s received national accreditation from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in December 2002 to perform heart transplants.
Nationwide Children's Hospital is ranked by U.S. News & World Report for Cardiology and Heart Surgery.
About the Heart Failure & Heart Transplant Program
The first heart transplant at Nationwide Children's was performed in April 2003. Since this time our program continues to grow and gain national and international recognition. Our center received international recognition for performing a domino transplant involving the youngest living donor infant.
Meet Our Team
Robert J. Gajarski
Robert J. Gajarski, MD, MHSA, FAAP, FACC, is Section Chief of The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and a Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
Deipanjan Nandi
Deipanjan "Deip" Nandi, MD, is a cardiologist with the Heart Transplant & Heart Failure Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Patrick I. McConnell
Patrick I. McConnell, MD, is an Attending Surgeon in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at The Heart Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Quality Counts: See Our Surgical Outcomes
Our program is actively involved in quality assurance and improvement on a national, state, and local level. Nationally, we participate in several databases (STS Congenital Heart Surgery Database, NACHRI, UNOS) from which we receive annual reports that are reviewed for areas of improvement. Additionally, we participate in the Optum Health’s Centers of Excellence advisory panel for congenital heart surgery where issues of value (outcomes/cost) are reviewed and incorporated into our quality improvement programs. The Cardiothoracic Surgical program is also part of a statewide database and participates on the Cardiac Standards Subcommittee of the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps.
Heart Transplant Support Community & Resources
At Nationwide Children's Hospital, we realize that emotional support is every bit as important as medical treatment. That’s why we created an online community for our patients and potential patients. Learn about upcoming support groups, past events and read our patient's stories.
Support Group Meeting Schedule
The Heart Failure/Transplant Program at Nationwide Children's Hospital holds patient support group meetings for all patients and families. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Ronald McDonald House.
For more information, or to suggest meeting topics, please call (614) 722-3108.