Overview
M Health Fairview’s transplant program is one of the oldest and most successful transplant programs in the world. Over nearly 60 years, our center has conducted more than 13,000 organ transplants of all types, including many first-in-the-world and first-in-the-nation breakthroughs. Many transplant practices developed at M Health Fairview’s transplant center have been adopted as standard treatments throughout the world. We are proud to specialize in complex, high risk, multiorgan transplants.
Our pioneering research has dramatically improved survival rates and post-transplant quality of life – establishing success rate records that are consistently at or exceeding the national average. We also founded the first nationally accredited transplant fellowship training program in 1970, which means we’re one of the few centers in the country trusted to train the next generation of transplant physicians.
Leading the way
Our solid organ transplant program’s volumes, quality, and outcomes are among the country’s best. We’ve been innovators for decades, breaking new ground in transplant medicine as we save lives every day.
900+
1,200
Top 10%
10%
139
10,000+
Looking for pediatric transplant care?
M Health Fairview is renowned for excellence in pediatric transplant care. We offer a range of advanced surgical options and holistic, multidisciplinary support for children and families.
Become a living donor and help save a life
Did you know that a healthy adult only needs one kidney? Or that after a portion of the liver is donated, it grows back in both donor and transplant recipient in a matter of months?
Living donor kidney transplants and living donor liver transplants benefit the person receiving the transplant in several ways:
- It shortens wait time for a transplant
- It increases the chance of finding a matching donor
- The transplant surgery can be scheduled at a convenient time for both donor and recipient, eliminating months or years of “waiting by the phone”
- It helps the recipient get a transplant before the disease progresses to a severe stage, resulting in an easier recovery and increasing the chance of a successful outcome
Living donors often say that their lifesaving gift gives them a feeling of pride and purpose that lasts throughout their lives.
Want to know more about becoming a living donor? Take the first step by completing a health questionnaire.
Specialties
Heart Transplants
M Health Fairview Transplant Care has performed over 900 high survival, heart transplants – making us one of the world’s longest running heart transplant providers.
Kidney Transplants
Our kidney transplant program is one of the largest and oldest in the world. The state's first kidney transplant was performed at the University of Minnesota, and the world's first kidney-pancreas transplant was performed here.
Liver Transplants
Our liver transplant care team continues to push transplant technologies to the forefront, introducing artificial-liver support devices, split-liver transplantation, and living-donor liver transplantation.
Lung Transplants
Our lung transplant program is one of the most successful in the country. We've performed more than 1,100 lung transplants since 1986: including Minnesota’s first lung transplant, first heart/lung transplant, and the first living donor transplant.
Pancreas Transplants
Since performing the world’s first pancreas transplant 50 years ago, M Health Fairview continues to lead the way in innovative technologies and pancreas transplant surgery.
Total Pancreatectomy and Islet Auto-Transplant (TP-IAT)
As pioneers of the first total pancreatectomy and islet auto-transplant (TP-IAT) in 1977, we have worked to develop this technique and deliver excellent care to our patients. We are the largest TP-IAT program in the world — performing 800 TP-IAT procedures.
Looking for quality care? Our physicians provide a coordinated care experience that puts you at the center of your transplant care.
Why M Health Fairview?
A legacy of firsts and innovations
Since its founding nearly 60 ago, M Health Fairview’s organ transplant program has cared for more than 13,000 recipients of heart, lung, kidney, liver, pancreas, islet, and intestine transplants. We performed:
- The world's first deceased donor pancreas transplant
- The world's first living donor pancreas transplant
- Minnesota's first adult heart and infant heart transplants
- Minnesota’s first heart-lung transplant and first single lung transplant
- The first nondirected living kidney transplant surgery in the U.S.
- The world’s first kidney-pancreas transplant
- The Midwest’s first liver-kidney transplant
- The Midwest's first “breathing lung” transplant
- The world’s first liver-intestine transplant
Support every step of the way
When you choose to deliver at the Birthplace, you’re surrounded by a team of experienced childbirth specialists. In 2022, we helped deliver more than 13,300 babies in our birth centers – more than any other health system in Minnesota. But our attentive and compassionate obstetricians, certified nurse midwives, and family medicine physicians work with each family to deliver personalized care at every step of your pregnancy and birth journey – and beyond.
Frequently Asked Questions
This depends on both insurance coverage and the provider’s specialty. In general, patients do not need a referral. Our providers collaborate with patients to develop individualized care plans based on nonoperative approaches and patient objectives.
Insurance plans commonly require referrals for evaluation by a surgeon and completion of conservative treatment prior to advanced imaging or non-surgical procedures. Please check with your insurer about such requirements.
At different points in your treatment plan, your care may be guided by doctors from several specialties. To get the best care, it can be helpful for all of your doctors to work together as a unified, interdisciplinary team.
In a truly multidisciplinary approach, expert groups of specialists, as well as support care teams, residents, nurses, and care coordinators, all work under one roof and come together to review patient care plans and discuss the next course of action. This meeting of minds allows for the exchange of ideas, helping you make informed decisions about your treatment and resulting in a more coordinated, smoother health care journey.
Yes. Second opinions are a common practice, and almost all doctors welcome another doctor’s viewpoint. In fact, some health systems use a multidisciplinary team approach, where a group of experts from relevant specialties come together in real time to consider each patient’s case and determine the best course of treatment for that individual.
As an academic health care system with regionally and nationally recognized physicians, patients often turn to M Health Fairview for second opinions. Our clinical support team works with patients to ensure all necessary clinical information is available prior to their visit. Upon review, there may be instances when a physician suggests that the patient sees a more appropriate specialist.
Second opinion consultations can help you feel confident that you’re getting the best possible treatment, and they are covered by many health insurance plans, too. To find out how to get a second opinion, talk with your doctor or care coordinator.
The transplant team will consider many different people as potential donors. Immediate family, relatives, or close friends are preferred, since they are most involved in the potential recipient's health. The donor must have a compatible blood type and must also be similar in size to the recipient. (Note: if you want to donate to a loved one but are not compatible, you may still be able to donate through a paired exchange.)
Most important, the donor must be in good physical and mental health, with no significant history of major medical problems. Generally speaking, the transplant team will consider donors in good health between the ages of 20 and 50 for a living liver donation and between the ages of 18 and 65 for a living kidney donation. The team evaluates donors outside the upper age limit on a case-by-case basis.
Want to know more about becoming a living donor? Take the first step by completing a health questionnaire.
Transplant Care Stories
