More than 3,000 lives have been saved through the kidney transplant program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and its medical partner The Rogosin Institute.
This major milestone was possible through significant advances, including laparoscopic surgical techniques and a non-invasive molecular test to diagnosis organ rejection -- developed by NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and Rogosin physicians and researchers -- and the enormous generosity of organ donors worldwide.
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell performed New York state's first kidney transplant in 1963. For the year 2006, the comprehensive kidney program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital -- including both major centers NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center -- had the highest volume transplant program in the country. The multidisciplinary transplant program crosses several specialties including surgery, nephrology and urology.
"We are thrilled to have reached this important milestone. Only by combining advanced clinical research with compassionate patient care have NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and The Rogosin Institute been able to help so many patients receive the gift of life," says Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor of Surgery and chairman of the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.
"Our research team has pioneered non-invasive molecular techniques to diagnose transplant rejection, tolerance and infection that have helped our program to reach this level of care. We will continue to focus our efforts on developing new ways to improve outcomes for our transplant patients," said Dr. Manikkam Suthanthiran, chief of the Department of Transplantation Medicine and Extracorporeal Therapy at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and the Stanton Griffis Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Weill Cornell Medical College.
"Transplantation has come a long way since the first transplant 45 years ago," says Dr. Albert Rubin, director of the Rogosin Institute. "Rogosin Institute physicians have partnered with NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell to provide the most comprehensive care for all 3,000 of our transplant recipients and their donors. Future research is aimed at preventing the progression of kidney disease, making dialysis and transplantation unnecessary."
"This is truly an exciting time in the transplant field. Today, we are able to offer our patients several unique and innovative strategies to ensure that they receive the organ they need and maintain long and healthy lives," says Dr. Sandip Kapur, chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and associate professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. "While we treat even the most complex cases, our survival rate surpasses the national average."
"My heartfelt congratulations to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and The Rogosin Institute for reaching this major milestone," says Elaine Berg, president and CEO of the New York Organ Donor Network. "Every one of these 3,000 transplants was linked to a gift of compassion and generosity by an organ donor and their family, without whom there could be no life-saving transplantations."
Recent advances have helped make more kidneys available at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. The use of minimally invasive techniques to remove kidneys from a donor has dramatically improved the acceptance of kidney donation. NewYork-Presbyterian performs this technique of "laparoscopic" kidney removal -- proven safe and effective by Dr. Joseph Del Pizzo, director of Laparoscopic and Minimally Invasive Surgery, and colleagues in the Department of Urology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell -- with one of the greatest volumes in the New York region. Another technique to increase the availability of donor kidneys is the kidney swap, which involves taking two or more pairs of patients with potential donors who are medically suitable and willing but blood-group incompatible, and swapping donors so patients can get kidney transplants where previously neither would have been able to.