UW sets transplant record

The university’s organ transplant program has released its year-end statistics for 2001.

• 506 organ transplants were performed in 2001, including heart and lung transplants, the largest number of transplants ever at UW Hospital and Clinics.
• 303 kidney transplants were done, equaling the previous high in 1999.
• 107 live-donor kidney transplants were performed, an increase of 12 over the preceding year.
• Live transplants increased substantially, 17 more than in 2000 (including six live-donor liver transplants).
• Heart and lung transplants increased by 16 (seven heart and nine lung).

“We are extremely pleased with this year’s high numbers,” says Hans Sollinger, chair of transplantation at UW Hospital. “But we’re also happy that our results, or patient outcomes, continue to be so good.”

Patient outcomes are generally measured by whether an organ transplanted into a patient is still functioning for a certain period of time after transplant.

“Wisconsinites continue to donate organs at a rate among the highest in the nation and, for that, we are grateful.” Sollinger says the need for organs remains higher than ever, however.