Milwaukee, WI (April 16, 2008) — According to data recently released by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Froedtert Hospital leads Region 7, which includes Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, in kidney transplant survival rates. The one-year survival rate for a patient who received a kidney transplant at Froedtert is 99.2 percent, about 3 percent higher than the national average. The Froedtert Kidney Disease Program was also recently recognized by the U.S. News & World Report in its 2007 “America’s Best Hospitals” list as one of the top 50 kidney programs in the United States.

“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. “In transplant medicine, experience is vital. Froedtert & the Medical College have performed thousands of transplants since the program began, and we have cumulative transplant experience that exceeds that of other programs in the region.”

In 2006, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin transplant team transplanted 117 kidneys, including 72 from deceased donors and 45 from living donors.

Twenty million Americans suffer from kidney disease, a progressive condition that eventually leads to kidney failure. When the kidneys fail, patients have two options: dialysis or kidney transplantation. While dialysis maintains life, kidney transplantation provides more complete restoration of kidney function and is associated with a higher quality of life than chronic dialysis.

Froedtert & the Medical College take a multidisciplinary approach throughout the End-Stage Kidney Disease and Kidney Transplant programs. A team of transplant-experienced specialists, including surgeons, nephrologists, endocrinologists, nurses, social workers, coordinators, dietitians and psychologists, works closely with patients from initial evaluation through post-transplantation. The integrated approach takes into account the whole picture of a patient’s health, which benefits the patient throughout the process.

Author: Kim Wick

Date: April 16, 2008