Florida Hospital Transplant Center (see more articles like this)

FHTC was 33rd on the list, performing a total of 130 kidney and kidney/pancreas transplants in 2006.  In 2007, FHTC performed 158 kidney transplants with three being transplanted with a pancreas and one with a liver.

“We are honored to be included on such a distinguished list with other transplant centers throughout the nation,” said Tim Jankiewicz, executive director of the FHTC. “We have been performing kidney transplants for more than 30 years and recently renewed our focus on our living donor program, which should result in a 15-20 percent increase in kidney transplants this year.”

The list in January’s issue of Nephrology News & Issues is based on 2006 data provided by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).  There are currently 245 active kidney transplant programs in the United States, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

The Florida Hospital Transplant Center offers kidney, liver, and kidney/pancreas transplantation services in addition to patient and professional education.  In December 2007, FHTC performed its first kidney paired exchange transplant, in which a recipient with an incompatible donor swaps with another recipient and their incompatible donor.  This marked the first time an institution in Florida had performed a paired donation with an institution in another state.