April 16, 2026 — The cardiovascular surgery team at Nicklaus Children's Hospital's Heart Institute has successfully performed the first partial heart transplant in the state of Florida on a 11-year-old patient. With an implanted "living valve," the procedure is designed to prevent the need for future open-heart surgeries because the valve will grow with the child as they age.
In this major surgical innovation, the living valve of a donor's heart is implanted into a patient, which allows the living valve to grow with the child. This is an alternative to prosthetic valves that do not have the capability to grow as the patient matures. Traditionally used animal-derived and mechanical prosthetic valves deteriorate over time or require the daily use of blood thinners. These non-living valves also need to be replaced over time, leading to additional open-heart surgeries, and are associated with a decreased survival rate after implantation.
This breakthrough procedure was led by Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, Co-director of the Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute as well as Professor and Researcher at the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Dr. David Kalfa. The partial heart transplant highlights Dr. Kalfa as a pioneer in the development and clinical application of living heart valve implants for children.
"Partial heart transplants are redefining what's possible in pediatric heart surgery. By transplanting a living valve, we are not just repairing a defect. We are restoring function in a way that allows the heart to grow naturally," said Dr. Kalfa. "Our goal is to move beyond temporary solutions like prosthetic materials and provide children with long-lasting, life-changing outcomes."
Greyson, the 11-year-old patient who underwent the procedure, had two additional heart surgeries as a baby prior to coming to Nicklaus Children's. His family is hopeful that he will not require another open-heart surgery in the future thanks to this innovative procedure.
"Going in for a second opinion is what brought me to Nicklaus Children's and Dr. Kalfa with his years of expertise and research in the field, and I am so grateful for that," says, Piera Archila, Greyson's mother. "Greyson underwent open-heart surgery in New York and has since been to a few other children's hospitals in Florida and outside the state in search for answers for his condition. Nicklaus Children's offered something unique in that Greyson can now grow up without needing another open-heart surgery."
Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects, affecting nearly 1% of newborns in the U.S., or about 40,000 infants. Of those infants born with CHD, half will need an operation to fix or replace a valve.
Dr. Kalfa's work is supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health in collaboration with FIU, advancing research and clinical innovation in partial heart transplantation and pediatric valve preservation techniques.
Nicklaus Children's Hospital is ranked among the nation's "Best Children's Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report, with seven specialty ranked programs, including Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute ranked the #1 heart program for children in South Florida.
For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.
March 31, 2026 
