LUNG
The transplant coordinators were awesome – they showed me so much patience and encouragement .
Stephanie Wright – Double lung transplant , October 3 , 2018
UAB LUNG TRANSPLANT VOLUME IS UP , AND OUTCOMES HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED .
ADULT LUNG TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS 2019-2021 ( ANNUALIZED )
ORGANS – LUNG
UAB is the best hospital to have a transplant , and the transplant team is amazing . There were days when I felt like I was about to take my last breath , and they would come to my room and assure me that they were going to take good care of me and that everything was going to be OK .
Broderick Grady – Double lung transplant , May 15 , 2021
Volume increased 314 % from 2019 to 2021 .
The UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute is home to one of fewer than 65 lung transplant centers in the United States , and ours is among the busiest , having performed nearly 750 lung and heart / lung transplants since we first began doing them over 25 years ago . The UAB Lung Transplant Program provides lifesaving care for serious lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis , emphysema , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ), interstitial lung disease , idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ( IPF ), pulmonary hypertension , and acute lung injury . The program continues to make significant strides in improving access for patients while building bridges between our pulmonary expertise and referring physicians .
Our role as a leading lung transplant center has been enhanced by our 20-year-old ECMO program , which is the only one in Alabama and one of the most active in the nation , having supported more than 450 pulmonary patients in the past five years alone . In addition to advanced research initiatives focused on therapies to support failing organs , the UAB ECMO service serves patients as both a “ bridge to recovery ” and a “ bridge to transplant ”. It participates with the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization ( ELSO ) and in 2021 received the Gold Level Award for Excellence , which recognizes ECMO programs worldwide that distinguish themselves by establishing processes , procedures , and systems to promote excellence and exceptional care .
91.7 % ONE-YEAR PATIENT SURVIVAL
Current Kaplan Meier estimate for 1-year patient survival for patients transplanted from 2019-2021 is 91.7 %.
uabmedicine . org / refertransplant 15