Tampa General Hospital Passes Kidney Transplant Milestone for 2019, Demonstrating How Volume Drives Quality

The hospital has performed a record number of successful kidney transplants in 2019, making it one of the busiest kidney transplant centers in the nation.

Tampa, FL (Jan.  3, 2020) -- Tampa General Hospital successfully performed 358kidney transplants in 2019, an all-time high for the hospital and one more sign that Tampa General is one of the busiest – and safest – transplant centers in the nation.

Tampa General now ranks as the 6^th busiest center for kidney transplants in the nation, according to the most recent publicly reported data. Tampa General’s previous one-year record was in 2018, when the hospital transplanted 252 kidneys.

Tampa General is committed to offering its transplant patients improved outcomes and lower costs, said Dr. Kiran Dhanireddy, executive director of Tampa General’s Transplant Institute. 

“We’ve had an incredible year, meeting the needs of our community, and surpassing 300 transplants before we ever thought possible,” Dr. Dhanireddy said. “We want to continue to provide the best care possible for our patients and families and save as many lives as we can.”

Over the years, many studies have shown that patients do better when they undergo surgeries in large surgical centers where the surgical teams perform complex procedures more often. Surgical teams that operate more often become more proficient. Increased proficiency leads to better quality. And better quality outcomes are linked to lower costs. The same is true of kidney transplants. For example, a 2004 University of Michigan study found safer outcomes at high-volume centers and a higher risk of death at centers that performed few transplants.

At Tampa General, all the kidney transplant patients survived their surgeries and 30-day recovery period, a commonly measured benchmark in transplant surgeries.

The number of kidney transplants includes 91 living donor kidney transplants performed in 2019, ranking it 8^th in the nation for these type of transplants, according to the most recent publicly reported data. Earlier this fall, Tampa General performed its 100^th liver transplant of 2019, another milestone for the hospital.

Tampa General is one of the 10 busiest organ transplant centers in the nation. It is one of the few hospitals nationwide to have performed more than 10,000 transplants. The hospital also performs heart, lung, adult and pediatric kidney and pancreas transplants.

 “Research shows that when surgeons and surgical teams operate more often, they become more skilled,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. “Simply put, surgeons who work in a high volume, busy academic medical center have opportunity to practice their skills. They have better outcomes, which ultimately leads to lower cost.”

For example, in this 2017 study published in the Journal of Urology, researchers found that patients who underwent a specific surgical procedure at high-volume centers had fewer complications during and after surgery, experienced shorter hospital stays, and lower costs.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL

Tampa General Hospital, a 1007-bed non-profit academic medical center, delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to an 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a state-certified spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation center.Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 14 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Care, 15 outpatient Radiology Centers and a TGH Urgent Care located in Brandon. As one of the largest hospitals in Florida, Tampa General Hospital is first in the state to open a command center in partnership with GE Healthcare. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.