Since opening its doors in 2005, the UF Health Congenital Heart Center has made significant strides with detecting, monitoring and treating congenital heart disease in patients of all ages.
2020
- U.S. News & World Report ranked the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital among the top 10 pediatric cardiology and heart surgery programs in the United States and highest-ranked in Florida for the fifth consecutive year.
2019
- U.S. News & World Report ranked the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital among the top 15 pediatric cardiology and heart surgery programs in the United States and highest-ranked in Florida for the fourth consecutive year.
2018
- U.S. News & World Report ranked the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital among the top 20 pediatric cardiology and heart surgery centers in the United States and highest-ranked in Florida for the third consecutive year.
- UF Health Shands Transplant Center accomplishes a 99.2% survival rate over a two-and-a-half-year period, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
2017
- UF Health Shands Transplant Center accomplishes a 100% survival rate over a two-and-a-half-year period, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
- U.S. News & World Report ranked the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital among the top 25 pediatric cardiology and heart surgery centers in the United States and highest-ranked in Florida for the second consecutive year.
- First in Florida to offer an iPad-monitoring app to caregivers of infants with single ventricle defects, a high-risk cardiac condition.
2016
- The UF Health Congenital Heart Center celebrates 10 years in operation.
- UF Health Shands Children's Hospital ranked in the top 25 in the nation for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report and ranked No. 1 in the state of Florida.
- Physicians at the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital and the UF Health Congenital Heart Center successfully separate conjoined twins who are connected at the heart, liver and sternum.
2015
- Introduction of 3D printing for patients with complex congenital heart disease.
2014
- UF Health opens its leading-edge Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
2013
- Physicians at UF Health complete a heart-lung transplant in its youngest infant.
- The UF Health Congenital Heart Center becomes the first program in Florida to have the Syncardia Total Artificial Heart® implanted in a 16-year-old patient.
- UF Health starts the Single Ventricle Home Monitoring Program and joins the NPC-QIC to decrease mortality of infants with single ventricle congenital heart disease.
2011
- The UF Health Congenital Heart Center is ranked among the top 50 pediatric cardiology and heart surgery centers by U.S. News & World Report for the first time.
2006
- The UF Health Congenital Heart Center opens and is led by its first director, Mark Bleiweis, MD.
- UF Health becomes the first in Florida to use the Berlin Heart implant as a bridge to transplant.
First in Florida: Leaders in Innovation
UF Health and the UF Health Congenital Heart Center have also been the first in Florida to perform the following procedures:
- Pediatric heart transplant, 1986
- Infant heart transplant, 1993
- Pediatric heart-kidney transplant, 1994
- Pediatric lung transplant, 1996
- Pediatric heart-lung transplant, 1999
- Double-lung transplant in youngest infant, 2002
- Berlin Heart implant as bridge to transplant, 2006 (CHC contributed to data collection that resulted in FDA approval in the fall of 2011)
- Heart-lung transplant in youngest infant, 2013
- SynCardia Total Artificial Heart® implant, 2013
- SynCardia Total Artificial Heart® implant with portable Freedom Drive in youngest patient in the world, 2014