AGH Kidney Transplant Program Earns Top Regional, State Results in latest Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients report

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Allegheny Health Network's (AHN) Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), has the best one-year survival rate and transplant rate among adult kidney transplant programs in Pennsylvania, according to the latest data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). AGH is one of 19 adult kidney transplant programs in Pennsylvania.

The SRTR is a national database of organ transplantation statistics and serves as the repository of information used to analyze transplantation trends and patient outcomes in the U.S. AGH performed 145 deceased kidney transplants during the most recent measuring period by the SRTR (between Jan. 1, 2018 and March 12, 2020) with patients having a 97.47% one-year organ survival rate. Nationally the one-year survival rate is 95.68%. AGH also posted the best three-year kidney transplant survival rate in the western PA region at 88.8%.

The SRTR report also shows that AGH patients are also transplanted one and a half times faster than the national average and twice as fast as any other transplant center in the region—meaning patients spend less time on the transplant waiting list before receiving a donor kidney. This measure has the largest impact on survival for kidney transplant recipients, according to AGH transplant specialists.

"As a leading referral center for patients with complex renal disease, we are incredibly proud of the program we have established at AGH for treating kidney failure, including our transplant team," said Ngoc Thai, MD, PH.D., Director of AHN's Center for Abdominal Transplantation. "The positive outcomes documented in the latest SRTR report are another testament to the exceptional talent and dedication of our caregivers and to the evidence-based, patient-centered care standards that we uphold."

AGH has performed kidney transplantation since 1987. A multidisciplinary team of caregivers, including physicians, nurses, transplant coordinators, dietitians, social workers, pharmacists, and others collaborate to ensure high-quality, comprehensive care at every stage of a kidney transplant patient's journey.

Kalathil Sureshkumar, MD, Medical Director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program at AHN, said post-transplant survival rates are impacted by a myriad of factors.

"We have an outstanding multidisciplinary team involved in the close monitoring and management of our patients following transplant surgery. The team provides kidney transplant recipients with all the support and resources that they need for a successful outcome. This includes helping patients adhere to the complex medical regimen, teaching them about self-monitoring, and arranging timely follow up testing and doctor visits. Those steps allow us to make sure the new kidney is functioning as it should be and patients are responding well to the surgery," Dr. Sureshkumar says.

The SRTR database gives patients the opportunity to compare transplant centers across the country on one website. Data is collected directly by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) from transplant programs, as well as from organ procurement organizations (OPOs) such as the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) in western Pennsylvania. This information is also supplemented by data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other sources. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requires that SRTR make all data available in aggregate to the public.

For more information on the AHN Abdominal Transplant Program, please visit https://www.ahn.org/services/surgery/transplant/kidney-pancreas.html.

About the Allegheny Health Network:
Allegheny Health Network (AHN.org), a Highmark Health company, is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the greater Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is composed of 13 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, Health + Wellness Pavilions, an employed physician organization, home and community based health services, a research institute, and a group purchasing organization. The Network provides patients with access to a complete spectrum of advanced medical services, including nationally recognized programs for primary and emergency care, trauma care, cardiovascular disease, organ transplantation, cancer care, orthopedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, women's health, diabetes, autoimmune disease and more. AHN employs approximately 21,000 people, has more than 2,500 physicians on its medical staff and serves as a clinical campus for Drexel University College of Medicine and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Media Contact

Catherine Clements, Allegheny Health Network, 7247572800, [email protected]

SOURCE Allegheny Health Network

Related Links

https://www.ahn.org/