Christina Brown and Matt Dickey

Hospital first in lung transplant survival

A recent study by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients ranks the University Medical Center number one in the nation for lung transplant operation survival. The ranking is based on a 98.08 percent survival rate from the 52 lung transplant procedures performed at the University's transplant center from 2003 to 2005. One reason for the Medical Center's high survival rate comes from a recent change in how patients are prioritized for receiving transplants. In the past, patients have been placed on a list based on when they requested a lung transplant, but now they are ranked using a new scoring system, according to Donna Charlebois, nurse practitioner and lung transplant coordinator from the University Transplant Center. "There is certain data we gather such as the amount of oxygen the patient is receiving, their age and their state of health, and they get a score based on that data," Charlesbois said.