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NCH Announced

the Launch of its Advanced Heart Failure and

Solid Organ Transplant Program

by Paul Hiltz,
Naples Comprehensive Health President & CEO
am thrilled to announce that Naples NCH to build upon its strong clinical foundation. The transplant
Comprehensive Health (NCH) plans institute will also house and ignite in parallel the foundations
I to expand its premier cardiovascular of other solid organ transplant capabilities, including kidney
service to include the foundation of an transplant.
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Over the past four years, NCH has established the pillars of
program, reinforcing our commitment to a highly successful heart failure and cardiomyopathy program.
delivering the highest levels of advanced care The development of a heart transplant program represents the
to Southwest Florida. next logical milestone, one that is supported by the clinical depth,
The strategic initiative is positioned as a natural next phase infrastructure, and experience now in place.
in the evolution of the comprehensive cardiac care model, The launch of an LVAD program will be pivotal to the next
and builds upon the nationally recognized success of the phase in growth, providing advanced therapy options for patients
NCH Rooney Heart Institute. NCH’s heart team, repeatedly with refractory heart failure who are either not yet transplant
recognized among the nation’s leading cardiac care programs, candidates, awaiting transplantation, and those for whom
was named one of America’s Top 50 Hospitals, placing it in the mechanical circulatory support is the most appropriate long-term
top 1% of U.S. hospitals for overall clinical excellence, including therapy.
cardiac care, and was also recognized among the nation’s top NCH has engaged in comprehensive planning across clinical,
hospitals for cardiac care by Money magazine. operational, and regulatory pathways, as well as strategic academic
Expanding heart failure capabilities will further strengthen and regional collaborations to ensure the program meets the most
the foundation of our robust mechanical circulatory support rigorous standards of quality, safety, and patient outcomes. This
program while enabling access to advanced therapies such as growth in advanced cardiovascular care reflects the extraordinary
left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) and heart transplantation dedication of our clinical teams and the trust our community
for the most complex patients. This next phase reflects both our places in us every day.
readiness and our responsibility to deliver world-class care closer In recent years, the NCH Rooney Heart Institute has
to home. continued to advance cardiovascular innovation and access to the
Central to the expansion is the depth of the physician latest therapies. NCH has been recognized among the top 5% in
proficiency already in place at the Rooney Heart Institute, the nation for overall cardiac services for seven consecutive years
including specialists with extensive experience in heart (2020–2026) and has received national distinctions for excellence
transplantation, critical care and novel mechanical circulatory across pulmonary, cardiac, orthopedic, and critical care.
support solutions. Physicians such as Tommy Caranasos, MD, This announcement reflects a comprehensive planning and
Vivianna Navas, MD, and Lavinia Kolarczyk, MD among others, strategic process. No final timelines have been established, and
bring forth extensive background in cardiothoracic surgery, we will share updates as it progresses through feasibility analyses,
heart failure management, and transplant-related care, allowing regulatory review, and partnership discussions.

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