Organ Transplants Reached Record Levels at Cleveland Clinic in 2022

Cleveland Clinic performed 1,050 transplants in 2022, including heart, kidney, liver, intestine and lung transplants, as well as living donor transplantation for kidney and liver. That is up 1% from the number of transplants performed at Cleveland Clinic in 2021.

Cleveland Clinic’s transplant sites are located at its main campus in Cleveland, Ohio; Weston Hospital in Florida; and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

“We want to thank organ donors and their families who make the gift of life possible,” said Charles Miller, M.D., Cleveland Clinic’s enterprise director of transplantation.

Cleveland Clinic’s global transplant programs reached several milestones in 2022:

• Cleveland Clinic’s transplant program in Ohio is the second largest program in the nation with 726 transplants.
• Cleveland Clinic’s liver, intestine and lung transplant programs in Ohio were among the largest in the United States, according to data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).
• Cleveland Clinic’s liver transplant program in Ohio completed 215 liver transplants, which is the highest number in the history of the program.
• Cleveland Clinic’s kidney transplant program in Ohio completed 320 kidney transplants, which is the highest number in the history of the program.
• Cleveland Clinic successfully performed a first-in-the-world full multi-organ transplant to treat a patient with a rare form of appendix cancer called pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP).
• Cleveland Clinic’s main campus completed 45 living-donor kidney transplants and 29 living-donor liver transplants.
• At Cleveland Clinic’s main campus, all the living-donor surgeries for liver transplant were done laparoscopically. Cleveland Clinic is one of the few hospitals in the world to offer that minimally invasive procedure.
• The transplant center of Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital expanded its Liver and Kidney Transplant Programs with the addition of specialists Hannah Kerr, MD, and David Reich, MD.
• Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s transplant center completed 117 transplants last year.
• Cleveland Clinic’s Organ Repair Center, which currently focuses on liver and lung, made more liver and lung transplants possible. The center evaluates and, if necessary, repairs donated livers and lungs so they can be viable for transplantation. Last year, 55 repaired livers and 33 repaired lungs were successfully transplanted.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) announced all-time records in 2022 for organ transplants and commemorated one million transplants performed nationwide.

Here are some of the inspiring Cleveland Clinic patients impacted by organ donation:

Man Benefits from HIV-Positive to HIV-Positive Kidney Transplant

For 35-year-old Robert Terry, it was hope that led to a transplant different from any other at Cleveland Clinic. In his early 30s, Robert started developing complications from diabetes and hypertension. He was ultimately hospitalized and learned he had kidney failure as well as HIV. Robert was eligible to receive a life-saving kidney from an HIV-positive donor through the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act (HOPE Act).

Strangers Turned Sisters After Women Share Same Liver from One Donor

One liver from a deceased donor saved two women in need of a life-saving transplant. Monica Davis and Maria Contreras underwent a rare procedure called a split-liver transplant where surgeons divided a liver from a deceased donor into two distinct portions then implanted one section into each adult patient. Monica received 60% of the donor’s liver, Maria received 40%. They met in person for the first time nearly two years after their operations. The bond these split-liver sisters have is a beautiful thing.

Boy Born With Multiple Heart Defects Receives Life-Saving Heart Transplant

Jude Sedor-Franzak was born with a heart valve condition and multiple holes in his heart. His health quickly went from stable to critical. A heart transplant brought him back to being an active kid who loves giving hugs (especially to our facility dog, Trotter).

Healthcare Worker Donates Kidney to Her Patient

Jill Buckeye’s kidneys were failing. She had been seeking a transplant donor for three years. Her phlebotomist, Jaylin Chadwell, would draw blood weekly so doctors could monitor Jill’s kidney function. When Jaylin learned Jill needed a transplant, she started the donation process. Tests showed she was a perfect match.

Double-Lung Transplant is Saving Grace for Woman with Pulmonary Fibrosis

Linda Uehlein couldn’t walk a few feet without struggling to breathe and had to travel everywhere with an oxygen tank. She was grappling with a condition that scarred and thickened her lung tissue. Linda could finally breathe easily again after a successful double-lung transplant.