Tampa General Hospital Celebrates 15,000 Transplants Completed in Just Under Five Decades

Significant milestone achieved by just a few centers in the nation reflects expertise and proficiency in life-saving surgeries.

Tampa, FL (May 7, 2026) – More than 15,000 lives have been transformed by the surgeons at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) through organ transplantation, a milestone achieved by only a handful of centers in the nation. The TGH transplant program was launched in 1974 and has since become a premier destination for this life-saving surgery.

In 2024, the region’s only academic health system was the #1 in the United States for transplants by volume, having completed 889 transplants during the calendar year. In 2025, the TGH Transplant Institute surpassed its own record with 895 transplants performed and was ranked among the top five in the nation for the third consecutive year.

"Tampa General is not just a premier destination for patients seeking life-saving transplants, but an academic-based, research-driven and nationally ranked program that has proven to deliver the best possible patient outcomes," said John Couris, president and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General. "Reaching 15,000 transplants is an achievement shared by only a small number of institutions in the world, and it’s a testament to our team’s commitment to exceptionalism.”

The volume of procedures at any health system is a reliable indicator of patient outcomes. Surgeons who perform more transplants have greater proficiency, and strong proficiency contributes to the best possible patient outcomes. The TGH Transplant Institute performed its first transplant in 1974 and has grown into one of the highest-volume programs in the United States, consistently ranking among the nation's elite centers for both volume and patient outcomes.

Tampa General surpasses national averages in one-year survival outcomes across lung, heart, liver and kidney transplants, as ranked by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).

“This milestone is ultimately about patients,” said Dr. Kiran Dhanireddy, vice president and chief of the TGH Transplant Institute. “Each transplant represents a life extended, a family given more time and a team working with extraordinary purpose. The recognition reflects the strength of the TGH Transplant Institute: world-class clinical expertise, innovative care models and a deeply committed team across every discipline. I am incredibly proud of our surgeons, physicians, nurses, coordinators, advanced practice providers and support teams whose collective work makes this level of performance possible.”

In 2025 alone, the health system completed 895 transplants, including:

• 519 kidney transplants
• 284 liver transplants
• 42 heart transplants
• 42 lung transplants
• 8 kidney-pancreas transplants

The nationally recognized academic health system also performed 23 dual-organ transplants and 135 living-donor transplants, including 123 living-donor kidneys and 12 living-donor livers.

TGH utilized perfusion and advanced preservation technology in 72% of transplanted organs in 2025. The approach increases organ utilization and expands the ability to transplant higher-risk organs, ultimately saving more lives.

This innovative approach is fully immersed in the culture and quality of care at Tampa General. The TGH Transplant Institute is also the first hospital in Florida to use Organ Care System (OCS™) technology. This perfusion system allows hearts, lungs and livers to function outside of the human body during transport, unlike other methods. As a result, the transplant team can retrieve organs from a wider geographic area, ensuring optimal organ condition before transplantation and saving more lives. To source those organs, the program's procurement teams traveled 101,609 miles in 2025, receiving organ donations from coast to coast.