Milwaukee, WI (Aug. 13, 2008) — According to data recently released by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, for the second consecutive reporting period, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Transplant Center leads Region 7, which includes Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, in kidney and liver transplant survival rates. The one-year survival rate for a patient who received a kidney transplant at Froedtert is 98.7 percent, about 2.5 percent higher than the national average. The one-year survival rate for a patient who received a liver transplant at Froedtert is 93.2 percent, about six percent higher than the national average.

Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Transplant Center also lead in one-year graft survival rate of the 15 largest renal transplant centers in the Midwest. The 15 largest renal transplant centers in the Midwest includes Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, Barnes Jewish, University of Indiana, University of Minnesota, University of Illinois, Mayo, University of Nebraska, University of Michigan, Cleveland Clinic, The Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin, Rush and Henry Ford.

Froedtert performs about 120 kidney transplants and 40 liver transplants a year. “In transplant medicine, having a medium size program like ours that performs between 70-150 kidney transplants a year is conducive to having good outcomes,” said Christopher Johnson, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin transplant surgeon and director of the Froedtert & The Medical College Transplant Center. “If your program is too small, it’s challenging to develop the expertise and if your program is too large, you can easily lose quality control.”

With more than two decades of experience, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin hepatologists and other physicians have the expertise to better recognize and treat complications of cirrhosis and other liver diseases, which means patients undergo transplant surgery in overall better health.

“The key is also having an experienced, dedicated team to manage both pre- and post-transplant patients,” said Johnson. “Our transplant programs have provided high-quality, innovative transplant services for people in Wisconsin and northern Illinois for more than 30 years.”

The multidisciplinary approach taken by Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Transplant Center draws upon the broad range of resources and expertise available through a variety of specialties within our campus. “As an academic medical center, we are at the forefront of new developments and information, and we can help patients explore all available treatment options,” said Johnson.

Author: Kim Wick

Date: Aug. 13, 2008