In 1989, surgeons of the Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute performed the area's first heart transplant with great success. That tradition continues today with more than 80 transplants performed and the second highest survival rate in the country.

Treatment involves the whole patient from initial diagnosis through long-term living with a new heart, with attention given to emotional, as well as physical, aspects of the patient's well-being. The staff and physicians of the transplant program include family members and the referring physician into the circle of care to ensure maximum comfort and comprehension of all issues related to the patient's journey to better health.

Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute boasts the second-best survival rate of all heart transplant programs in the U.S., according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (www.unos.org). Sutter Memorial Hospital joined an elite group of hospitals in California that met the stringent requirements of the Leapfrog Group, a consortium of Fortune 500 companies and other large health care purchasers.