The University of Toledo Medical Center recently completed its 3,000th kidney transplant, a milestone that comes on the heels of a period of unprecedented growth for the hospital’s transplant program.
The number of kidney transplants performed annually at UTMC has increased in each of the last five years, soaring from 65 in 2017 to a record 200 last year.
“I am so excited to see the growth of this program over the last 20 years,” said Dr. Michael Rees, surgical director of UTMC’s kidney transplant program. “When I got here in 1999, we were doing about 30 transplants a year. We’re currently on pace to again do more than 200 this year, and every single one of those is a life-changing and often life-saving procedure.”
Through Aug. 10, the hospital had completed 127 transplants this year.
The recipient of UTMC’s 3,000th transplant, a woman in her 50s, is recovering well with good function from her new kidney.
The milestone procedure was done June 24 by UTMC transplant surgeon Dr. Kunal Yadav.
UTMC, then the Medical College of Ohio Hospital, completed its first kidney transplant in 1972 — just a decade after doctors in Boston performed the world’s first successful kidney transplant between non-related patients.
In recent years, UTMC has become known for having one of the fastest adult kidney transplant programs in the country.
The median time patients spend from being listed to receiving a transplant decreased to just a little more than three months, according to the July Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients’ report.
The national average is nearly three years.
“We have the shortest wait time of any kidney transplant program in the United States, and we’ve been able to accomplish that while continuing to grow our numbers and maintaining very good outcomes,” Yadav said. “When we are able to transplant patients quickly — sometimes without them ever even requiring dialysis — they do better. We’re giving them a better chance of survival and a better chance of quality of life.”
On average, patients on dialysis live 10 years longer with a kidney transplant than they would have had they remained on dialysis.
UTMC is planning to host an event in October to celebrate the 3,000th transplant and the program’s recent success.
Individuals who are interested in learning more about UTMC’s kidney transplant program, including information about registering as a living kidney donor, can visit the UTMC website or call 419.383.6715.
