"Infant's Milestone: World's First Successful Partial Heart Transplant at Duke"

The world's first partial heart transplant, performed on infant Owen Monroe at Duke Health in 2022, has been declared a success as the transplanted valves and arteries are growing with the child, potentially eliminating the need for repeated surgeries. This innovative procedure also requires less immunosuppression medication and opens the possibility for domino heart transplants, where one donor heart can save two lives. Following 13 successful partial transplants worldwide, researchers are planning a clinical trial to further assess the procedure's efficacy and potentially increase the availability of donor hearts for children with heart disease.