Cardiac transplantation at Arkansas Children's Hospital

Cardiac transplantation in children has evolved over the past 20 years. In 1990 Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) developed a Cardiac Transplant Program as part of its tertiary care of patients with congenital and acquired heart disease. The program evolved into a regional pediatric referral program and is now one of the busiest in the United States. "Bridging" to transplant increased the number of patients surviving long enough to receive a donor heart. This article reviews the historical perspective of pediatric cardiac transplant along with the development and current state of the program at Arkansas Children's Hospital.