MUSC's Kidney Transplant Program 17th Highest Volume in U.S.

Contact: Heather Woolwine
843-792-7669
woolwinh@musc.edu

July 6, 2016

CHARLESTON, SC – The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) was recently named for performing the 17th highest number of kidney transplants in the country, as confirmed by data released by the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN). The data includes kidney and kidney/pancreas transplants. For more information, visit Unos.org.

The MUSC Health transplant program had been previously recognized as part of U.S. News & World Report rankings and as a University Health Consortium benchmark program.

“We are a nationally-recognized team with some of the best physicians, surgeons, nurses, and coordinators, that is supported by the latest innovations in our area, some of which are being pioneered here,” said Prabhakar Baliga, M.D., MUSC Department of Surgery chairman and transplant surgeon. “As with many programs, it is a great team effort. We are excited to be consistently among the pioneers of many innovative treatments in preservation, targeted medication delivery, and outcomes research.”

MUSC has one of the shortest wait times in the country, greatly improving the odds patients and their families face, and is consistently recognized for having very high survival rates, despite treating twice the number of high-risk patients when compared to other top programs.

MUSC is the only transplant center in South Carolina, but that’s not necessarily the reason for the high volume of transplants. Citizens of the Palmetto State suffer a higher rate of end stage renal disease, and those rates disproportionately affect the African-American population. According to Baliga, approximately 65 percent of kidney or kidney/pancreas transplant patients at MUSC are African-American. To help better serve these patients and others, MUSC has an active and growing living donation program for kidney transplant patients. By specializing in living donor transplants, the availability of healthy kidneys for those who need them most continues to improve. One such program involves a donor chain and is having a direct impact on numerous patients in much less time. For more information on this program, visit: Teenager thrilled to get transplant ‘payback’.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates over 3,100 students in six colleges and trains 950+ residents and fellows across its health system. MUSC leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health and research funding. For information on our academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. In 2024, for the 10th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $7.1 billion. The 31,000 MUSC members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.