Heart Transplant

The Baptist Health Heart Failure and Transplant Institute in Arkansas is led by Dr. John Ransom. He has worked hard to provide a high-quality transplant program for all patients. Currently, Dr. Ransom and Drs. Patrick Campbell and Keerthy Narisetty and their staff monitor and care for hundreds of transplant patients in varying stages of the transplant process. All transplant staff members involved with the program are dedicated to making this a positive experience for the referring physicians, their patients and families.

The Procedure

A heart transplant is a surgical procedure that involves removing a diseased heart from a person and replacing it with a healthy one from an organ donor.

Before you can be put on a waiting list for a heart transplant in Arkansas, a healthcare provider must decide the procedure is the best treatment for your heart failure. A healthcare team also makes sure you are otherwise healthy enough to go through the transplant process.

The Latest Technology

Baptist Health is the first transplant center in Arkansas to utilize the SherpaPak® Cardiac Transport System (CTS) from Paragonix Technologies.

The SherpaPak® CTS provides a safe and effective way for hearts to be preserved during the transplant process, marking the healing ministry’s commitment to be a leader in heart health services.

Replacing consumer-grade cooler and ice systems that have been used historically, the SherpaPak® CTS – paired with the Paragonix app and web portal – provides constant temperature and location tracking and real-time updates to the transplant team. It delivers information critical to this complicated surgery to the team.

heart transplant

Baptist Health Heart Transplant Team

Transplant Program Director: John Ransom, MD

Executive Director: Jeffrey Hartsell, MHSA

Transplant and LVAD Surgeons:

Bassam “Sammy” Shukrallah, MD

Karol Mudy, MD

Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologists:

Patrick Campbell, MD

Thomas Kasprowicz, MD

Linnea LeBaron, DO

Anusha Sunkara, MD

Steven Hutchins, MD

For more information about Baptist Health’s Heart Failure and Transplant Institute, please call (501) 202-1500, option two, or toll-free at 1-800-768-8003, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For emergencies, call (501) 516-7802.

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