Vanderbilt Transplant Center

Officials cut the ribbon at last week’s dedication of VUMC’s new hybrid operating rooms.
November 2, 2021

VUMC debuts two new state-of-the-art hybrid operating rooms

Vanderbilt is opening two of the newest generation of hybrid operating rooms, which each combine a traditional operating room with the latest advanced imaging equipment.

By Matt Batcheldor
August 17, 2021

Vanderbilt Transplant Center to be focus of national TV series

A new documentary television series premiering this fall follows the life-saving stories of organ transplant patients at the Vanderbilt Transplant Center.

By Matt Batcheldor
July 29, 2021

Transplant Center honored  for organ donation efforts

Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Vanderbilt Transplant Center have won Platinum Recognition, the highest possible level of achievement, from the National Hospital Organ Donation Campaign of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

By Matt Batcheldor
July 12, 2021

Vanderbilt Transplant Center reaches new record number of transplants performed

The Vanderbilt Transplant Center performed a record number of solid organ transplants in fiscal year 2021 (FY 21) — 637 life-saving procedures among its adult and pediatric programs — despite occurring entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Matt Batcheldor
Seth Karp, MD, spoke virtually with the House Oversight and Reform Committee about efforts to increase the nation’s supply of donated organs for transplantation.
May 5, 2021

Dire need to reform organ procurement rules: Karp

A rule requiring greater accountability from organ procurement organizations (OPOs) will increase the nation’s supply of organs donated for transplantation, but it must be implemented quickly and effectively, Seth Karp, MD, director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center, testified before Congress on Tuesday, May 4.

By Bill Snyder
Members of the co-occurring disorders intensive outpatient program include, from left, Susan Crawford, RN-BC, Amy Hulings, LCSW, Jessica Lavender, LPC-MHSP, and Maria Dixon, LMSW.
April 29, 2021

Program combines treatment for mental health, substance use disorders

For people with co-occurring mental health disorders and substance use disorders, finding integrated care that treats both conditions can be a difficult task. Vanderbilt Behavioral Health is seeking to simplify care for these patients through the co-occurring disorders intensive outpatient program (IOP).

By Emily Stembridge
February 25, 2021

Pediatric liver transplant program named among nation’s best

The pediatric liver transplant program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt continues to reach milestones — the most recent being named one of the best programs in the country.
By Jessica Pasley
February 3, 2021

Transplant patient celebrates milestone 30th anniversary

Pam Everett-Smith celebrated a milestone this past November — 30 years since she received a lung transplant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is the longest-surviving single-lung transplant patient known in the United States.
By Matt Batcheldor
January 28, 2021

Pre-transplant coordinators ‘literally on call for something every single day’

Emily Sandhaus’ phone rings in the middle of the night. The voice on the other end tells her a donor heart is available, and it’s in El Paso, Texas. She should pack a bag and report to the Emergency Department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. A car will take her team to Nashville International Airport, where they will board a charter plane to recover, preserve and transport the heart back to VUMC for transplant.
By Matt Batcheldor
January 28, 2021

Vanderbilt Transplant Center achieves new record for total transplants performed in 2020

The Vanderbilt Transplant Center (VTC) established a new record in 2020 for total solid organ transplants, performing 611 life-saving procedures among its adult and pediatric organ transplant programs.
By Matt Batcheldor
January 12, 2021

VUMC now leads world in heart transplantation

Vanderbilt University Medical Center performed more heart transplants in 2020 than any other center in the world — 124 adult hearts, 23 pediatric hearts and VUMC’s first heart-lung transplant since 2006.
By Matt Batcheldor
December 17, 2020

Challenges, achievements share spotlight in 2020

The year 2020 will forever be defined by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s response to it has been nothing short of stunning. The entire enterprise — clinical, research and education — began preparing for the pandemic’s impact even before the first cases appeared in Tennessee in March, and that dedicated commitment and unceasing effort did not waver in the long months that followed. But while COVID-19 dominated the news during 2020, there were still many other noteworthy achievements that made headlines during the year.
By VUMC News and Communications
December 10, 2020

New approach helps conserve blood products for liver transplant patients

Liver transplants have traditionally required a high volume of transfusions of blood products, which comes with several downsides. The products are costly to patients — as high as $15,000 on top of the expense of a transplant. And they are sometimes not well accepted in patients because they degrade over time and are derived from multiple patients.
By Matt Batcheldor