Transplant

September 12, 2024

Advocating for organ donation

The hearing was a one-year check-in on the implementation of the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act to maintain a national registry for organ matching.

Jimena Lopez, 13, received VUMC’s 3,000th liver transplant. (photo by Donn Jones)
September 5, 2024

VUMC reaches new liver transplant milestone 

While the surgery was a milestone for the hospital, for the pediatric patient and her family, it represented an answer to many prayers. 

By Jessica Pasley
July 24, 2024

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt adds pancreas and lung transplant services

Recognized as a major regional referral center for heart, kidney and liver transplantation, incorporating pancreas and lung transplant services for pediatric patients bolsters the well-established expertise currently offered by the Vanderbilt Transplant Center.

By Jessica Pasley
Enock Adjei, MD, left, and Wali Johnson, MD, perform a liver transplant in February 2024. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
July 23, 2024

Vanderbilt Transplant Center finishes fiscal year with record 809 solid organ transplants

Vanderbilt’s adult heart, lung, liver and kidney transplant programs individually had record fiscal years, with 150 heart transplants, 90 lung transplants, 180 liver transplants and 333 kidney transplants. In addition, adult transplant teams performed three heart/lung transplants and four kidney/pancreas transplants.

By Matt Batcheldor
June 13, 2024

Study shows transplant volumes decreased, costs rose following federal policy change

The new policy changed liver allocations from a regional service area to an “acuity circles” system that assigns donor livers as far as 500 nautical miles away based on the acuity of recipients.

By Matt Batcheldor
Melissia Boynton speaks with a visitor a few days after her heart transplant. (photo by Kylie Avery)
May 17, 2024

A Mother’s Day to remember

Melissia Boynton got the call about 3 a.m. on Mother’s Day that her new heart was available. Immediately, her plans changed from a barbecue around the family pool to a middle-of-the-night drive to Nashville to get her new heart.

By Matt Batcheldor
May 17, 2024

VUMC team travels to Alaska to recover a donor heart

The 5,704 nautical-mile trip is the farthest VUMC has traveled for an organ. The remarkable journey illustrates how new technologies make it possible to preserve organs longer, allowing Vanderbilt to look farther for a match.
By Matt Batcheldor
May 7, 2024

A team approach to care 

LSU baseball fan sporting a new set of lungs after VUMC transplant
By Matt Batcheldor
April 23, 2024

Events honor those involved in organ donation

Sixty-nine individuals donated their organs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2023, and they and their families were saluted on April 17 at the annual Donate Life Ceremony.
By Matt Batcheldor
April 16, 2024

Peter Reese named to lead newly created Vanderbilt Center for Transplant Science

Peter Reese, MD, PhD, has been named the inaugural director of the Vanderbilt Center for Transplant Science.
By Matt Batcheldor
April 8, 2024

Lung transplant patient, family glad they came to a place where ‘every single person cared’

Mike Boston was turned down by eight hospitals for a double lung transplant, which would be his second, because none believed he would survive the surgery. Finally, doctors at one medical center — VUMC — thought he might.
By Matt Batcheldor
April 1, 2024

Event introduces pediatric transplant patients to their new adult transplant team providers

VUMC's adult and pediatric heart transplant programs recently collaborated to create a pediatric transplant transition day, a new event where pediatric transplant patients meet with their new adult transplant team providers to begin the transition to those providers.
By Matt Batcheldor
March 14, 2024

Immune cell profiles may guide flu vaccine timing in pediatric stem cell transplant patients

A new study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers has identified key immune cell populations that predict how well pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients will respond to the influenza vaccine.
By Paul Govern