The Transplant Center program at University of Minnesota Medical Center and University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital encompasses more than 45 years of research, innovation, and experience. It has been the site of many world and state “firsts.” Here are just a few:

1963 – First kidney transplant in Minnesota

1966 – World’s first pancreas transplant 
              World’s first intestinal transplant

1967 – World’s first simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant

1974 – World’s first islet allograft transplant to treat diabetes

1977 – World’s first islet autograft transplant to prevent diabetes after a total pancreatectomy for  chronic pancreatitis

1978 – Word’s first pancreas transplant using a living donor

1978 – First heart transplant in Minnesota

1980 – First liver-kidney transplant in Minnesota

1981 – First pediatric heart transplant in Minnesota

1986 – First heart-lung transplant in Minnesota 
              First infant heart transplant in Minnesota (in a 6-month-old)

1987 – First heart-kidney transplant in Minnesota

1988 – First single lung transplant in Minnesota

1994 – World’s first simultaneous segmental pancreas and kidney transplant from the same living donor

1995 – First HeartMate VE (left ventricular assist device) implantation in Minnesota

1997 – World’s first kidney-bowel transplant

1999 – Nation’s first nondirected living donor kidney transplant (between an anonymous donor and an unspecified recipient

2001 – World’s first laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy

2006 – 10,000th transplant performed

2008 – First Berlin left ventricular assist device implanted in Minnesota as a bridge to transplant