Banner Health launches advanced heart failure center in Phoenix

PHOENIX — Banner Health in Phoenix now has the only heart failure program of its kind in Arizona.

With the addition of heart transplant services, Banner — University Medical Center Phoenix has become the only hospital in the state with a fully comprehensive heart failure center.

Banner Health was originally approved to perform heart transplants in 2019 by the United Network for Organ Sharing.

The Advanced Heart Failure Center conducted its first transplant in February. As of July 20, it had completed 10, Banner Health said in a press release Wednesday.

The center provides state-of-the-art care from prevention to transplant, the hospital said.

Banner tested donors and recipients for COVID-19 before completing transplants and minimizing the risk of exposure post-procedure, the hospital said.

“Heart failure is not a death sentence, but it requires a specialized and coordinated healthcare team to provide the most comprehensive care,” Radha Gopalan, a Banner medical director, said in the release.

About 5.7 million Americans live with heart failure and is one of the most common reasons for those 65 years of age or older are hospitalized.

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