Peter Schorsch
Since performing its first kidney transplant in 1974, Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has put exceeding patient needs at the forefront of its mission.
That drive and mission have continued to the present day as TGH, surgeons at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and the nephrologists of Florida Kidney Physicians, LLC, have achieved another lifesaving milestone in transplant operations. The TGH Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center reached a record-breaking milestone of 7,500 kidney transplants.
“It’s an important number and milestone because it shows how Tampa General, year after year, has been meeting the need for these patients,’’ said Dr. Anthony Watkins, Tampa General’s surgical director of Kidney Transplant and associate professor in the Department of Surgery at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “Thanks to our world-class team, thousands of patients have received this life-changing, and often lifesaving, surgery.’’
Hospitals use kidney transplants to treat kidney failure, also known as an end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
ERSD is a condition of poor kidney functions, where the organs can only perform at a fraction of normal capacity. Kidney transplants are a vital lifesaving procedure that people with ERSD depend on in addition to dialysis treatment.
Transplant volume plays a significant role in the quality of care. Higher volumes lead to greater ability, and better outcomes.
In 2020, the TGH Kidney Transplant Program ranked third in the nation by volume.
Today, the TGH Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center is one of the top five kidney transplant programs in the nation. The center also ranks as the top living donor kidney transplant program in Florida for its third consecutive year.
“This new milestone is another sign that Tampa General is one of the busiest — and safest — transplant centers in the nation,’’ said Dr. Kiran Dhanireddy, vice president, chief of the TGH Transplant Institute and associate professor in the Department of Surgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
In America, over 90,000 kidney transplant patients are waiting for a donation.
However, the U.S. conducted fewer than 25,000 last year.
According to Donate Life America, a nonprofit advocacy group, over 105,000 Americans are waiting for an organ transplant, with kidneys as the most in-demand vital organ.
A donor can save and enhance over 75 lives, the group notes on its website.
For more information and how to learn how to become an organ donor, visit Donate Life Florida.
