Norfolk, VA –
March 9, 2007- The
renal transplant program at
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital performed the most kidney transplant procedures in Virginia during 2006, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN).
The kidney transplant team headed by John Colonna, M.D. performed 110 procedures at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and four at neighboring Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters for a total of 114. In pediatric living donor cases, donor procedures are performed at Sentara Norfolk General and recipients receive their organs at CHKD.
“This is a remarkable accomplishment.” says Dr. Colonna. “It’s due to the great teamwork by everyone in our renal transplant program and especially to the generosity of living and deceased organ donors.”
There were 65 deceased kidney donors during 2006 and 45 living donors. Two of those living donations were non-directed; one on behalf of a patient on Sentara’s waiting list and one purely non-directed.
Data supplied by OPTN showed the next busiest program at Washington Hospital Center with 109 procedures. University of Virginia and Medical College of Virginia hospitals each performed 107 kidney procedures. Fairfax Hospital did 78 cases and Henrico Doctors’ Hospital 59.
“It’s gratifying that Virginia’s transplant programs have been able to help so many patients improve the quality of their lives,” Dr. Colonna says, “but there are 377 patients just on Sentara’s waiting list for kidneys and there is always a need for more donors.”
April is ‘National Donate Life Month’ There are nine pediatric patients on the kidney waiting list at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, 2,083 total patients in Virginia and 70,108 throughout the United States. To find out more about organ donation and the difference you can make in someone’s life, log onto
www.save7lives.org or contact LifeNet, Virginia’s not-for-profit organ donation network, at
www.lifenet.org.
13/2007