Page 19 - Southern Exposure- April '24

Southern Exposure, Page 19

tAMpA gENErAl NEwS

Tampa General Hospital

Leads In Living-Donor Liver Transplants In Florida

Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is leading the way waited anywhere from 30 days to five years for a deceased president and chief of the
in living-donor liver transplants in the state of Florida. donor’s organ. Livers are the second-most in-demand TGH Transplant Institute
In 2023, the academic health system performed five organ for transplants (behind kidneys). About 10 percent and surgical director of
lifesaving living-donor liver transplants, the most of any of individuals on the national transplant waiting list are the Comprehensive Liver
hospital in the Sunshine State. waiting for a liver. Disease & Transplant
The first occurred in May 2023, when Derek Sanz Receiving a donation from a living donor shortens a Center.
gave his mother, Patty, the ultimate Mother’s Day gift patient’s wait time and lessens chances that the liver’s With a living-donor
— half of his liver. After nearly a year, mother and son condition will worsen. “Living-donor liver transplant is transplantation, a healthy
are healthy and grateful that the TGH Transplant Institute another avenue to save the lives of patients with liver person volunteers a
offers a living-donor option. Without it, Patty might have disease in our community,” said Dr. Kiran Dhanireddy, vice portion of their liver to
someone whose liver is
failing from end-stage
disease or cancer. After doctors remove the donated
portion, the donor’s remaining liver regrows close to
its full size and capacity in a couple of months. The
transplanted liver also grows, restoring normal liver
function to the recipient.
The benefits of live-donor transplantation include:
• Transplants take place quicker when a living donor
is available.
• Hospitals schedule transplants based on the recipient’s
and donor’s availability.
• Research shows that recipients of living-donor organs
have better outcomes.
TGH is a top five transplant center by volume in
the United States and is ranked one of the nation’s best
hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in 2023/24.
The living-donor liver transplant program “is a prime
example of Tampa General continuing to drive innovation
to deliver world-class health care,” said TGH President
and CEO John Couris. “This program opens up additional
access to patients in need of a liver transplant, and has
the potential to transform the lives of patients and their
families in the Tampa Bay region, Florida and across the
United States.”
Both Patty and Derek Sanz have shared their
experiences to encourage others to consider a living-donor
liver transplant if they have a family member in need. “It
worked for us and that’s why we want to get the word out
there so that more people can be saved,” said Patty.
For more information about the TGH Transplant
Institute, please call (561) 739-4TGH.

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