Wednesday, April 25, 2001

Piedmont Hospital award granted to establish new organ transplant clinic

The Carlos and Marguerite Mason Trust has awarded Piedmont Hospital a $750,000 grant to establish a new and expanded organ transplant clinic, which will enhance previous clinic services and existing organ transplant program.

In addition, the grant will fund new patient representative positions to work with Piedmont transplant patients and families.

The 3,300-sq. ft. clinic is in the 1984 Building on Piedmont's main campus in Buckhead. All post-transplant patient follow-up is conducted in the clinic, as well as pre-transplant evaluations for recipients and potential living donors.

In recognition of this donation and of the trust's commitment to promotion and support of organ donation and transplantation, the clinic will be named the Carlos and Marguerite Mason Transplant Clinic, as a component of organ transplant services at Piedmont.

Piedmont Hospital began its kidney transplant program in 1986. Since then, more than 800 kidney transplants have been performed. In addition to renal transplants and pancreas transplants, physicians at Piedmont also perform tissue and corneal transplants.

"Our new Mason Transplant Clinic will greatly facilitate followup care for our transplant patients. It will also make it easier for potential recipient and living donor patients to undergo evaluations as well as learn about transplant alternatives," said John D. Whelchel, M.D., director of organ transplant services at Piedmont Hospital.

He also serves as medical director for LifeLink of Georgia, the state's federally designated organ procurement organization.

Piedmont Hospital was the first hospital in Georgia to offer the option of laparoscopic nephrectomy to living donors. The laparoscopic technique for removal of kidneys from living donors has outcomes equal to the standard open nephrectomy technique.

The advantages of the laparoscopic technique for the donor include less pain, shorter hospitalizations, rapid return to normal activity, and improved cosmetic benefits. Further, the success rate of living donor kidneys, no matter what the donor-recipient relationship, is significantly greater than that of cadaver kidney transplants.

During the fourth quarter of 2000, 46 percent of the kidney transplants performed at Piedmont involved living donors. David C. Lowance, M.D., chief of nephrology at Piedmont, said that as individuals recognize the growing need for organ and tissue donation, he hopes more will consider living kidney donation as an alternative.

"While the advent of the laparoscopic nephrectomy for living donor kidney transplantation will no doubt help ease the burden on the cadaver kidney supply, there remains a critical need for all individuals to consider becoming organ and tissue donors," said Lowance. He also serves as president of the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia.

As of January 2001, there were more than 47,600 Americans awaiting kidney transplants and more than 800 waiting in Georgia, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing ­ a vast majority of the more than 74,000 patients awaiting transplants nationwide. This waiting list compares to 5,800 cadaver kidneys transplanted in 1999.

Unfortunately, the renal transplant waiting list has grown dramatically, while the number of cadaver donors has remained relatively stable.

The Carlos and Marguerite Mason Trust awards grants to Georgia nonprofit organizations to promote organ donation and support transplantation needs for residents of Georgia. For information visit www.wachovia.com/trust/grant_information.asp.

Piedmont Hospital is a member of the Georgia Coalition on Donation, a non-profit alliance of transplant centers, organ and tissue procurement organizations and other groups dedicated to donation. Since 1905, Piedmont has grown with Atlanta and continues to set high standards by combining the best professional staff with the most advanced technology. Today, Piedmont Hospital is a 500-bed acute tertiary care facility offering all major medical, surgical and diagnostic services.

On 26 acres in the heart of Buckhead, Piedmont is a private, not-for-profit organization with 3,000 employees and a medical staff of more than 800 physicians. Piedmont Hospital is a member of PROMINA Health System.