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Dedicated Team Helps Patients,
Families Cope With TransplantationIf you or a loved one ever needs a solid organ transplant — a kidney, pancreas, liver, lung or heart — you are fortunate to live near the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Transplant Center. The center — with a long tradition of providing expert, compassionate care — has given thousands of people the opportunity for a new life.
Froedtert & the Medical College receive organs through the Wisconsin Donor Network, one of 58 designated organ procurement organizations in the United States. Most, but not all, organs come from donors within southeastern Wisconsin.
“The center’s multidisciplinary team of dedicated transplant specialists is exceptional,” said Judy Suchman, director of Transplant Services. “Physicians, transplant coordinators, nurses, social workers, dietitians, psychologists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists and other staff are dedicated to helping patients handle the challenges of a transplant — from initial evaluation through the post-transplant period. This collaborative approach has produced excellent results; the Transplant Center regularly exceeds the national average in patient and graft survival rates.”
“Patients waiting for an organ transplant and their families receive extensive support to educate and prepare them for transplantation. In addition, Froedtert & the Medical College are at the forefront in using state-of-the-art technology that benefits patients before, during and after their transplant.”
“The transplant programs have provided high-quality, innovative transplant services for people in Wisconsin and northern Illinois for more than 30 years,” said Christopher Johnson, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin transplant surgeon and director of the Froedtert & the Medical College Transplant Center. “The program performed the first adult liver transplant and the first laparoscopic living donor kidney transplant in the state.
Expertise for the transplant programs is provided by nationally recognized Medical College physicians in multiple disciplines who are dedicated to transplantation. Equally important are the contributions of transplant coordinators, dedicated nurses, physician extenders (physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and many others. We also benefit from a close working relationship with BloodCenter of Wisconsin, which provides state-of-the-art technology related to tissue matching and compatibility issues.”
Five additional nurses have recently been hired to serve as post-transplant coordinators in the Transplant Center. “They will be the first contact for patients in the kidney, liver and pancreas transplant programs and will coordinate all aspects of patient care,” Suchman said. “In addition, two new transplant financial liaisons will work with patients on insurance and financial concerns related to organ transplantation.”
The center’s four pre-transplant coordinators oversee patient care during the period of transplant evaluation and help to ensure that potential recipients remain healthy while waiting to receive a transplant.
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Transplants Performed from 2000-2005 |
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Program |
No. of Transplants |
Year Program Began |
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Kidney |
766 |
1967 |
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Heart |
20 |
1985 |
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Liver |
99 |
1983 |
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Kidney/Pancreas, Pancreas |
92 |
1987 |
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Lung |
25 |
1991 |
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