ANN ARBOR, MI - The University of Michigan Health System is one of the 10 most active organ transplant centers in the country, according to a data analysis by Transplant News, an independent bi-monthly newsletter.

Jeffrey D. Punch, M.D. Associate Professor of Surgery Chief, Division of Transplantation

The analysis, performed over a 15-year period, places the U-M transplant program eighth among the nation's top transplant facilities. During 2002, more than half the organ transplants performed at the University of Michigan were for kidneys. The U-M team also performs heart, liver, pancreas, lung and heart/lung transplants.

In determining its overall national rankings, Transplant News compared the data from 1988 to 2002. It also considered the number of transplants obtained through a deceased donor compared to a live donor.

In all, 249 transplants from deceased donors and 101 transplants from living donors took place at UMHS in 2002, compared to 156 deceased-donor and 21 living-donor transplants in 1988.

Jeffrey Punch, M.D., director of the program, associate professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Transplantation, predicts this growth will continue as more living-donor procedures are made possible by new advances in surgical techniques.

"It is an area for strategic growth in a highly technological field," says Punch. "This institution devotes a lot of time and energy to help as many lives as possible. In the next five years, I predict the University of Michigan Health System will be in the top five, if not the top three in transplant occurrences."

The data are from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), which tracks organ transplants throughout the United States. A complete guide to the numerical data is available online at www.optn.org.

The University of Michigan Transplant Center, which began transplanting organs in 1964, is one of the oldest and most experienced transplant centers in the country. The team-based approach for adult and pediatric organ transplant includes staff from many areas of the health system, including surgical and medical teams, critical care specialists, the Survival Flight air ambulance service and support services.

The center's mission is a very simple one. "Our goal is to provide the very best care possible, using the most modern technology available for patients with organ failure," says Punch.

For more information on organ transplants at UMHS, visit www.med.umich.edu/trans/public. For more information on organ transplant in general, visit Transweb, www.transweb.org, a public Web site founded and maintained by U-M transplant specialists.

Written by: Rebekah Thompson

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