Matt Batcheldor Archive — Page 3 of 51

A line of climbers with backpacks ascends a rocky slope beneath the snow-covered peak and glaciers of Aconcagua.
April 2, 2026

Vanderbilt Health lung transplant patients, doctors climb highest peak in the Americas

Most of the 27 participants were able to reach altitudes of more than 18,000 feet — exclusively personal bests. All participants were under close medical supervision.

By Matt Batcheldor
March 27, 2026

Vanderbilt Lung Transplant Program sets new record

The program performed 149 lung transplants in 2025, the most ever in one year at Vanderbilt Health, and is now the second largest lung transplant center in the U.S.

By Matt Batcheldor
March 18, 2026

Vanderbilt Health uses novel robotic device to place central lines in FDA trial  

A Chattanooga patient says she’s feeling great after becoming the first to receive the robotic‑assisted central line in Nashville.

By Matt Batcheldor
Wayfinding sign for Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital beside a brick ambulance entrance. The sign directs visitors to Emergency and Chest Pain Center, Main Entrance, Outpatient Entrance, Visitor Parking, Wound Care, and Receiving on Cedar Lane.
March 3, 2026

Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital receives national designation for treating patients with chest pain

Hospitals that earn accreditation have proven exceptional competency in treating patients with heart attack symptoms. The new designation will last until Jan. 31, 2029.

By Matt Batcheldor
Four masked surgical staff in gowns and gloves work around an anesthetized patient under bright operating-room lights during heart transplant surgery.
February 27, 2026

Multiple surgeries that open chest don’t add extra risk for transplant patients: Study

Researchers retrospectively reviewed 552 Vanderbilt Health patients from Jan. 2024 to Dec. 2025, placing them in 3 groups: those with no sternotomies, those with one, and those with two or more.

By Matt Batcheldor
Vanderbilt Health performed a record number of solid organ transplants in fiscal year 2026 — 981 lifesaving procedures among its adult and pediatric programs. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
February 11, 2026

Heart preservation technique increases pool of organs available for transplant

The technique, termed REUP (rapid recovery with extended ultraoxygenated preservation), avoids traditional methods that reanimate the heart within or outside the donor’s body.

By Matt Batcheldor