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TO HEALTH, MEDICAL, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Northwestern Medicine Launches New Lung Transplant Program
CHICAGO, April 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Northwestern
Medicine -- a leader in research, innovation and comprehensive,
compassionate transplant care -- is proud to announce the launch of a
new lung transplant program. Appointments are available to eligible
patients immediately and lung transplant surgeries will begin in May.
"Lung transplantation provides patients with chronic and life
threatening lung diseases a new set of lungs as well as a better
quality of life," said Malcolm DeCamp, MD, chief of the division of
thoracic surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Northwestern Medicine has one
of the premier organ transplantation programs in the country and the
launch of our lung transplant program will allow us to provide care to
more patients in need of organ transplants."
In Illinois, there are simply not enough lung transplant surgeries to
meet the existing patient needs, forcing many to travel out of state.
For example, in Missouri, a state of about 6 million, there is one
transplant center that completed about 66 lung transplants in 2013. In
contrast, only 52 lung transplants were performed at two centers in
Illinois, a state of almost 13 million, according to the United
Network for Organ Sharing.
One of the reasons for the limited lung transplant programs in
Illinois may be the complexity and challenges associated with this
type of organ transplantation.
"Lungs are one of the most difficult organs to transplant and manage,"
said Ankit Bharat, MD, a thoracic surgeon and surgical director of the
Lung Transplant Program. "Unlike other organs, lungs are exposed to
the external atmospheric elements during normal respiration, leading
to possible infection and damage."
Lung transplant patients are dependent on oxygen to get through the
day. While those suffering from cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive
pulmonary (COPD) and pulmonary fibrosis will make up about 70 to 80
percent of those eligible for lung transplants, patients suffering
from a variety of other lung diseases will also be eligible, Bharat
added.
"Lung transplant surgeries are complex and timing is critical," Bharat
said. "Surgeons only have about six hours to transport lungs from a
donor and transplant into the recipient. In addition, pre- and
post-transplant care requires a highly coordinated effort by a number
of different disciplines. That's why it's so important to have a
comprehensive and experienced group of physicians and staff leading
the way. At Northwestern Memorial, we have the infrastructure and
expertise to meet these challenges and will provide the highest
quality transplant care to our patients."
The good news is that more than 80 percent of patients will survive
one year after lung transplant surgery and approximately 80 percent
say they have minimal to no limitations on their physical activity
following the surgery, said Sangeeta Bhorade, MD, medical director of
the lung transplant program.
"For patients who do well, their recovery after lung transplantation
is remarkable," said Bhorade, who is also an associate professor of
medicine at Feinberg School. "While transplant patients need to follow
up regularly after their surgery, our goal is to enable patients to do
things most of us take for granted every day - go shopping, visit
friends and family, even go back to work. We will be helping some of
the sickest patients return to their lives."
To learn more about the Northwestern Medicine Lung Transplant Program
or to schedule an appointment, click here or call 312-695-LUNG.
About Northwestern Medicine @ Northwestern Medicine@ is the
collaboration between Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine around a strategic
vision to transform the future of healthcare. It encompasses the
research, teaching and patient care activities of the academic medical
center. Sharing a commitment to superior quality, academic excellence
and patient safety, the organizations within Northwestern Medicine
comprise more than 9,000 clinical and administrative staff, 3,100
medical and science faculty and 700 students. The entities involved in
Northwestern Medicine remain separate organizations. Northwestern
Medicine is a trademark of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and is
used by Northwestern University.
About Northwestern Memorial Hospital Northwestern Memorial is one of
the country's premier academic medical center hospitals and is the
primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern University Feinberg
School of Medicine. Along with its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone
Institute of Psychiatry, the hospital has 1,705 affiliated physicians
and 6,769 employees. Northwestern Memorial is recognized for
providing exemplary patient care and state-of-the art advancements in
the areas of cardiovascular care; women's health; oncology; neurology
and neurosurgery; solid organ and soft tissue transplants and
orthopaedics.
Northwestern Memorial has nursing Magnet Status, the nation's highest
recognition for patient care and nursing excellence. Northwestern
Memorial ranks 6th in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report
2013-14 Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals. The hospital is
recognized in 14 of 16 clinical specialties rated by U.S. News and is
No. 1 in Illinois and Chicago in U.S. News' 2013-14 state and metro
rankings, respectively. For 14 years running, Northwestern Memorial
has been rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers"
guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the
prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by
Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research
Corporation's annual survey for 15 consecutive years.
SOURCE Northwestern Memorial Hospital
-0- 04/01/2014
/CONTACT: Sheila Galloro, 312-926-0735, sgalloro@nmh.org
/Web Site: http://www.nmh.org
CO: Northwestern Memorial Hospital
ST: Illinois
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