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SearchThe hospital’s liver transplant team performed its 500th liver transplant and the heart transplant team completed its 300th heart transplant.
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Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital continues to make history as its transplant program recently celebrated two significant milestones. The hospital’s liver transplant team performed its 500th liver transplant and the heart transplant team completed its 300th heart transplant.
The 500th liver was transplanted using an advanced perfusion system, which pumps oxygenated blood through a deceased donor liver. The new technology helps preserve the liver before it is transplanted. Research shows that liver perfusion has helped reduce the risk of complications and patients go home sooner. The new technology can also improve the quality of the organ which may lead to greater organ availability for patients who need a liver transplant.
The 300th heart was transplanted to 40-year-old Michael Scarlett who was diagnosed with idiopathic viral cardiomyopathy, which led to heart failure. Prior to the transplant, he had suffered several strokes.
The Weston Hospital’s transplant program continues to grow since its inception in 2013 when the hospital received approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to perform adult liver and kidney transplants. In 2014, it received approval to perform adult heart transplants. In 2021, the Weston Hospital began performing living donor liver transplants and is one of the only transplant centers in South Florida offering this procedure.
“We are excited about the growth of our program, but more important, the number of transplant patients we continue to serve is unprecedented,” said F. Scott Ross, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital. “I am honored to congratulate our entire team of physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, perfusionists, dieticians, transplant coordinators, pharmacists and social workers. These incredible milestones speak to their commitment and dedication to serving our patients.
Nationwide more than 104,000 people are waiting for an organ, and on average 17 patients die each day while waiting for a transplant, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The average length of time for a patient on the liver transplant waiting list is 11 months, kidney, five years and heart, up to three years.
Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital, part of Cleveland Clinic’s Florida market, is a 258-bed nonprofit, multispecialty, academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. With locations in Weston, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Parkland, West Palm Beach, Wellington, and Palm Beach Gardens, Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital has more than 365 physicians with expertise in 55 specialties. The medical campus is fully integrated and includes diagnostic centers, outpatient surgery and a 24-hour emergency department located in the state-of-the-art hospital. Cleveland Clinic’s Florida market is an integral part of Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where providing outstanding patient care is based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Physicians at Cleveland Clinic are experts in the treatment of complex conditions that are difficult to diagnose. For more information, visit www.clevelandclinicflorida.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
