The transplant program at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center is in the top 10%
of hospitals nationwide for volume of transplant procedures.
1968
1st heart transplant in the Midwest performed at St. Luke's on October
21, 1968.
1984
Established St. Luke's Heart Transplant Program. Since then, more than 500
heart transplants have been completed at St. Luke's.
1986
Physicians at St. Luke's implanted Wisconsin's 1st Jarvik-7 artificial
heart as a bridge to transplant.
1990
Became the 1st hospital in Wisconsin to receive Medicare approval for
heart transplants.
1991
St. Luke's became the 1st Wisconsin hospital to implant the pneumatic Heartmate, a ventricular assist device.
1992
Received United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) approval for lung transplants.
Performed the 1st lung transplant operation.
1994
St. Luke's was the 1st hospital in the Midwest to implant the vented
electric Heartmate ventricular assist device and the 1st to manage the
care of a patient at home while his heart was being supported by the device.
1995
St. Luke's successfully completed the Midwest's 1st heart transplant
on a patient who had been living at home while his heart was supported by a
vented electric Heartmate.
1998
Received UNOS approval for liver transplants.
Performed the 1st liver transplant operation.
1999
Received UNOS approval for kidney transplants.
Received Medicare approval for kidney transplants.
Performed 1st multiple organ (kidney-heart) transplant.
Performed 1st cadaver kidney transplant.
2000
Performed 1st live donor kidney transplant.
2002
1st kidney, pancreas transplant formed
2003
Performed 500th heart transplant operation since 1st heart
transplant in 1968
1st simultaneous liver-kidney transplant performed
