More than 13,000 Transplants Completed as Tampa General Marks 50 Years of Its Nationally Recognized Transplant Institute

The high-volume transplant center achieves better outcomes for patients and more lives saved.

Tampa, FL (June 20, 2024) – Tampa General Hospital (TGH), the region’s only academic health system, this week celebrates 50 years of the transplant program, giving life to patients throughout the region and across the nation.

 

On June 18, 1974, Tampa General performed its first kidney transplant. In the five decades since Tampa General completed its first transplant surgery, surgeons at the academic health system have been providing patients with the most advanced, comprehensive, compassionate and personalized care possible. Tampa General has celebrated many historic milestones and national accolades for the program, becoming one of the leading transplant centers in the nation.

 

“The 50th anniversary is remarkable on its own, but consider the more than 13,000 lives saved by Tampa General’s Transplant Institute over the last five decades,” said John Couris, president and chief executive officer at Tampa General Hospital. “This anniversary is a tribute to the providers and their commitment to exceptional care. In the last few years, we’ve made tremendous progress in recruiting the best-in-class surgeons, adopting new technologies and advancing innovative techniques, and today, we’re one of the nation’s leading transplant centers. We’re building on the first 50 years to ensure the next are even better.”

 

To date, Tampa General has performed more than 13,000 transplant surgeries, a milestone achieved by only a few dozen hospitals nationwide. In 2023, Tampa General was ranked among the top five hospitals in the nation for transplants by volume, with 756 performed last year.

“As a national leader in transplant, we possess the proficiency and capability to manage patients with the most complex health conditions, and that has led to exceptional patient outcomes,” said Dr. Kiran Dhanireddy, vice president and chief of the TGH Transplant Institute. “Our 50th year is an opportunity to reflect on our journey to become a world-class organization. Our program was founded by innovators, and we continue to innovate today.”

National recognitions earned in 2023 for the TGH Transplant Institute include:

• #1 living donor kidney transplant program in the state of Florida for the last five years
• #2 in the nation for kidney transplants
• #4 transplant center in the nation for all transplants by volume
• #4 in the nation for liver transplants by volume

Tampa General is the only hospital in West Central Florida to offer all five organ transplants for adult patients: heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas.

In 2023, Tampa General successfully completed its first living donor liver transplant, expanding access to patients needing a liver transplant. Last year, Tampa General completed a total of five living donor liver transplants.

Through the adoption of technology, Tampa General’s Transplant Institute is able to retrieve organs from a wider geographical area and ensure optimal organ condition before transplant procedures, increasing access to donor organs and shortening patient wait times. According to data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Tampa General historically has some of the shortest times to transplant in the country and in Florida.

In 2027, Tampa General’s Transplant Institute will move to the system’s brand-new, state-of-the-art Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower, where patients will have access to best-in-class providers, the latest research therapies and modern technologies. The tower, which consists of a plaza level and 12 floors, will provide 144 patient beds, 32 operating suites and expanded intensive care unit (ICU) capacity. In addition, there will be space for education and training, and sterile processing, as well as two floors reserved for future growth.