GRAND RAPIDS, MB — Corewell Health, formerly Spectrum Health, announced that their lung transplant program has reached a significant milestone.
Corewell Health’s Richard DeVos Heart and Lung Transplant Program celebrated their 300th lung transplant since the program was founded in 2010.
The program completed its first heart transplant in November of 2010 and its first lung transplant in February of 2013.
"The fact that we were able to do that many patients in that timeframe is an achievement. But what's a bigger achievement for us is that we have one of the best survival outcomes at one year, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients," said Dr. Gayathri Sathiyamoorthy of Corewell Health.
Dr. Edward Murphy is the lead surgeon in the program and recently completed the 300th lung transplant on Dennis Bergstrom, 66, of Cheboygan. The hospital says that Bergstrom is now off of supplemental oxygen and expected to make a full recovery.
Dr. Sathiyamoorthy added that the volume of patients they operate on combined with some of the best outcomes speaks to the quality of care provided in the program.
The heart and lung transplant program at Corewell Health also provides transplants to patients who would have otherwise been rejected at other hospitals.
"Most transplant centers don't do patients over the age of 65, just because they come with other risk factors. We consistently do patients over 65, some in their 70s, and have had excellent outcomes with them. We also have taken patients that have been rejected by other transplant centers," Dr. Sathiyamoorthy explained.
The outcomes from those transplants have been very good as well, despite the barriers from other risk factors.
"Everything from the coordinators to our pharmacist, to our physician assistants, their attention to detail, their dedication to the patient's wellness and their outcomes is an important factor. And then we have an excellent surgeon Dr. Eddie Murphy, who works magic in the operating room. And we don't have too many post operative complications. So all of those added up together is what makes the program so great," Dr. Sathiyamoorthy concluded.
The program has continued to grow since the first transplant in 2013 and is now completing between 40 and 50 lung transplants each year on average.
Corewell Health says that there are 1,500 people on the lung transplant waitlist nationwide and they are ready to serve the needs of patients in the region and beyond.
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