Watch CBS News

W. Va. Surgeons Perform State's First Heart Transplant

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Surgeons at West Virginia University have performed the state's first heart transplant.

The university says in a news release that the six-hour surgery occurred Saturday in Morgantown on a 61-year-old male patient from Chesapeake, Ohio. It was performed by surgeons at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute and the WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance.

Transplant surgeon Dr. Vinay Badhwar says in a news release that WVU has "opened the doorway to a new future for West Virginians, who no longer have to travel out of state for heart transplantation."

The WVU Medicine program has several more heart transplant patients currently on a waiting list.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.