Photo: Fiona Coote AM
Heart and Lungs
One in six Australians suffer from cardiovascular disease, while one in ten of us suffer from lung disease. The heart and lung doctors and nurses at St Vincent’s have committed to helping patients live long and healthy lives. They do this by developing new surgical procedures as well as conducting ground-breaking medical research.
St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney has always been at the forefront of research into cardiothoracic care. In 2019, they celebrated 35 years of the Heart Lung Transplant Program.
However, limited funding has restricted the use of new and often life-saving technology procedures and the Foundation has relied on philanthropic support from the community to fund these vital programs.
Today, St Vincent’s is still leading the way in organ care preservation and transportation. They are experts in minimally invasive heart surgeries and use robotics to care for the 1.5 million Australians living with Heart and Lung disease. The vision for the future is to establish the St Vincent’s Heart Lung Centre of Excellence. Here, St Vincent’s will formalise its leading clinical practice, trials and research and improve patient care outcomes.
St Vincent’s Heart Lung Innovation Fund supports programs such as:
- Interventional Cardiology Upgrade: To support our hospital to continue to provide outstanding cardiothoracic care, we have launched a new fundraising campaign aiming to raise at least $7 million to enable the redevelopment of the hospital’s existing interventional cardiology laboratories. This is critical to ensure we meet the projected growing demand for lifesaving minimally invasive cardiac procedures and to build on our flagship heart lung programs. The project will involve upgrading equipment, including angiogram and imaging machines, as well as improvements in air filtration, lighting and other technology to enhance infection control and patient safety.
- Mechanical Hearts and Pumps: St Vincent’s leads the way in the evolution of mechanical heart pumps and artificial hearts which are vital for end-stage heart failure when no donor organs are available. Philanthropic support enabled St Vincent’s to implant the first total artificial heart in Australia in 2010 and continues to support continued innovation and trials of this technology.
- St Vincent’s Heart Lung Centre for Excellence – Our vision is to undertake an ambitious program to build the St Vincent’s Heart Lung Centre for Excellence. We will use our tradition of excellence and innovation to create a new future for treating heart and lung diseases. With your help, our doctors can change how people with heart and lung conditions are cared for across Australia.
Watch to see how your donations can help:
Donate today to the St Vincent’s Heart Lung Innovation Fund and support St Vincent’s vision for a new St Vincent’s Heart Lung Centre of Excellence. Help St Vincent’s stay at the forefront of cardiothoracic innovation – together we can help save lives.
Further information on Heart Health at St Vincent’s can be found here.