LOUISVILLE, Ky. – UofL Health – Jewish Hospital and the Trager Transplant Center, in partnership with the University of Louisville, is celebrating 60 years of organ transplantation and providing more than 5,800 life-giving transplant procedures for people in Kentucky and beyond.
“The history of excellence in transplant care wouldn’t be possible without those who made the choice to donate life, and give someone else a chance to continue theirs,” said John Walsh, CEO of UofL Health – Jewish Hospital and UofL Health – Heart Hospital. “Because of them, we’re able to celebrate the transplant center’s remarkable purpose, which is to be a vital resource to patients in need of innovative, life-saving treatments.”
Since the first transplant, a kidney transplant in September of 1964, the transplant center has hosted many firsts in Kentucky and the world including:
- The world’s first successful heart transplant following the use of thoracic ventricular assist device
- The world’s first and second ABIOCOR® implantable replacement heart
- The world’s most successful hand transplant
- Kentucky’s first heart transplant
- Kentucky’s first pancreas transplant
- Kentucky’s first adult liver transplant
- Kentucky’s first double-lung transplant
- Kentucky’s first dual heart-liver transplant
Jewish Hospital is Kentucky’s first hospital to be designated as a federally approved center for five solid organ transplants: heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas. It’s among a very small percentage of hospitals across the country capable of performing this complex mix of cases.
“Delivering so many firsts and milestones in our transplant programs is a true testament to the skill, innovation and expertise on this team,” said Christopher Jones, M.D., Medical Director, UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center, and Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplant Surgery at the University of Louisville. “But hope is not possible without the sacrifice of our donor families, and being the transplant center of choice is not possible without trust. To the transplant team, past and present, the commitment to compassionate care is unmatched.”
Over the last year, the transplant program has seen a record number of adult live kidney donations. It’s also reported the highest volumes since becoming UofL Health, with growth in overall transplant volume increasing 30% over the previous fiscal year.
The nucleus of the solid organ program at Jewish Hospital is the Trager Transplant Center which opened in 2016. The 18,000 square foot center features 20 state-of-the art exam and consultation rooms and was built with a $3.3 million dollar gift from the Trager family and the former Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation. The ongoing community support is crucial in order to have the resources to continue to support research, add services, purchase technology and equipment that make Jewish Hospital and the Trager Transplant Center the facility of choice for patients and their families in Kentuckiana and the region.
Kentuckians can join the Kentucky Donor Registry online at www.DonateLifeKY.org. People who live outside of the state of Kentucky can visit www.DonateLife.net for state specific donor registry information.
