Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Celebrates 20th Anniversary Heart Transplant Patients — More Than 450 Years of “Extra Life”

HOUSTON (February 13, 2007)—The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital is celebrating 23 patients who have reached the 20th anniversary of their heart transplants. These patients have surpassed or will accomplish that milestone this year. They represent more than 450 years of “extra life” achieved through heart transplantation. It is believed no other heart center in the world can match this success. The average heart transplant patient survives eight to ten years after transplantation. Last year, the transplant team led by Dr. Bud Frazier surpassed its 1,000th heart transplant – also believed to be a global record. At a news conference on February 13, physicians discussed the evolution of heart transplantation and introduced ten of the patients who were being honored at a special luncheon.

Speakers included the following:

• Denton A. Cooley, M.D., president and surgeon-in-chief of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital.
• Bud Frazier, M.D., chief of Cardiopulmonary Transplantation and director of Surgical Research at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s.
• James T. Willerson, M.D., president-elect and medical director of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, and president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
• Branislav Radovancevic, M.D., director, Center for Cardiac Support and associate director of Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplant Research at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital.
• Roberta Bogaev, M.D., Director, Advanced Heart Failure/Cardiac Transplantation at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital.
• David J. Fine, president and CEO, St. Luke's Episcopal Health System
• David C. Pate, M.D., J.D., senior vice president of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System and CEO of St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital.
• Ten patients who have surpassed or will achieve the 20th anniversary of their heart transplants this year.

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The Texas Heart Institute, founded by world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton A. Cooley in 1962, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative and progressive programs in research, education and improved patient care. Together with its clinical partner, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, it has been ranked among the top ten cardiovascular centers in the United States by U.S. News & World Report’s annual guide to “America’s Best Hospitals” for the past 16 years. The Texas Heart Institute is also affiliated with the University of Texas (UT) System, which promotes collaboration in cardiovascular research and education among UT and THI faculty at the Texas Heart Institute and other UT components. For more information about the Institute, please visit www.texasheart.org.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System comprises the flagship St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas; St. Luke’s Community Medical Center–The Woodlands, opened in 2003; St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, a charity devoted to assessing and enhancing community health, especially among the underserved; and Kelsey-Seybold Management, LLP, overseeing 21 area clinic locations. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital is home to the Texas Heart® Institute, founded in 1962 by Denton A. Cooley, MD, and is consistently ranked among the top 10 cardiology and heart surgery centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Affiliated with several nursing schools and two medical schools, St. Luke’s serves as the primary adult teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine. St. Luke’s was the first hospital in Texas named a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, and the Health System has been recognized by FORTUNE as among“100 Best Companies to Work For” and by Houston Business Journal as a top employer in Houston. For more information about St. Luke’s, please visit www.stlukestexas.com.