Tampa General Hospital, USF Health Surgeons Perform 700th Adult Lung Transplant, Marking a Milestone for the Academic Medical Center

In close collaboration with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the lung transplant program at Tampa General Hospital is one of only 20 programs out of 53 transplant centers in the nation to hit or exceed this milestone.

 

Tampa, FL (Oct. 12, 2021) – The Center for Advanced Lung Disease at Tampa General Hospital joined the ranks of the highest volume transplant centers in the nation with its 700^th adult lung transplant procedure on Oct. 2. The first lung transplant at TGH was performed in 2002. Since then, Tampa General’s lung transplant program has grown and excelled to be named by U.S. News & World Report as a “high performing” hospital for Pulmonology & Lung Surgery for 2021-2022 and operates one of only four active lung transplant programs in Florida.

 

“We are proud to announce that we have performed our 700^th lung transplant,” said Dr. Kapil Patel, assistant professor at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and director of the Center for Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Program. “This is notable, especially in a time when the pandemic has provided obstacles for us all. We lead a dedicated team of physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, and ancillary staff that have helped make this achievement possible. Few programs in the country have reached such a milestone.”

 

The TGH Transplant Institute was ranked sixth in the nation for organ transplant volume in 2020 and has performed more than 11,000 transplants.

 

The Center for Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Program at Tampa General utilizes a multidisciplinary approach and delivers world-class care to patients. This approach produces survival rates that meet or exceed national statistics according to data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients in July 2021. Both single and double lung transplants are performed at Tampa General and the transplant program specializes in adult patients who have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and pulmonary fibrosis.

 

Specialties of focus within the TGH Center for Advanced Lung Disease include: 

• Interstitial Lung Disease – Also called pulmonary fibrosis, it is scarring and inflammation of the tissue surrounding the lung’s air sacs, blood vessels and airways.
• Cystic Fibrosis – A genetic disorder in which the lungs and digestive system become clogged with mucus.
• Pulmonary Hypertension – A type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and right side of the heart.
• ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) – The ECMO machine pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest.                                                                                                                                                                                                 

“Tampa General has a nationally recognized Transplant Institute, where we have been saving lives through transplantation since 1974,” said Dr. Kiran Dhanireddy, executive director of the TGH Transplant Institute. “As we celebrate this historic milestone of 700 lung transplants, we would like to recognize the hard work and dedication of countless health care workers caring for the sickest patients in our community. Congratulations to Dr. Patel and the whole team!”

 

Potential lung transplant candidates are evaluated on an individual basis. For more information about the program, call 1-800-505-7769, press 3 for the lung transplant program and ask for the referral coordinator.

 

 

 

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,041-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2021-22 Best Hospitals, and one of the top 4 hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. The academic medical center’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious 2021 Forbes magazine rankings – America’s Best Employers by State, third out of 100 Florida companies and first among health care and social organizations and 13^th nationally in America’s Best Employers for Women. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal 2020 provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track.  As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost.  For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

 

ABOUT USF HEALTH
USF Health's mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the Taneja College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and USF Health’s multispecialty physicians group. The University of South Florida is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News & World Report’s national university rankings than USF. For more information, visit health.usf.edu.