Loyola Medicine Marks 30th Anniversary of Groundbreaking Lung Transplant Program
October 7, 2018Categories: Loyola Medicine, Transplant
MAYWOOD, IL – Loyola Medicine’s groundbreaking lung transplant program has reached a new milestone, marking the 30th anniversary of its first lung transplant.
Loyola has performed nearly 950 lung transplants. This is more than four times as many lung transplants as the combined total of all other centers in Illinois combined, according to the federal government's Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network.
"The 30th anniversary is a testament to the commitment of the medical center and the dedication of an outstanding lung transplant team," said Jeffrey Schwartz, MD, surgical director of lung transplantation. "The lives of many people throughout the Midwest have been greatly improved, and as care providers, it is tremendously rewarding to see this change from illness to health."
Daniel Dilling, MD, medical director of lung transportation, noted that relatively few centers worldwide have performed lung transplants for as long and as successfully as Loyola. "We have been on the cutting edge throughout the decades, and we continue to push the envelope to help more people," Dr. Dilling said.
Loyola performed the first lung transplant in Illinois in 1988. In 1990, Loyola cardiothoracic surgeon Mamdouh Bakhos, MD, performed the state's first double-lung transplant. Other milestones include a simultaneous double-lung and kidney transplant (2007) and five lung transplants in just over 24 hours (2014).
Last year, Loyola performed its first lung transplant using ex vivo lung perfusion. This groundbreaking technology evaluates lungs before transplant, potentially increasing the supply of donor lungs.
Loyola's multidisciplinary lung transplant team regularly evaluates and successfully performs transplants in patients who have been turned down by other centers in Chicago and surrounding states. Despite taking on more challenging cases, Loyola consistently records outstanding outcomes.
The lung transplant program is part of Loyola's advanced lung disease program, which offers second opinions and leading-edge clinical trials. The advanced treatment can in some cases delay or even eliminate the need for a lung transplant.
About Loyola Medicine
Loyola Medicine, a member of Trinity Health, is a nationally ranked academic, quaternary care system based in Chicago's western suburbs. The three-hospital system includes Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC), Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, MacNeal Hospital, as well as convenient locations offering primary care, specialty care and immediate care services from nearly 2,000 physicians throughout Cook, Will and DuPage counties. LUMC is a 547-licensed-bed hospital in Maywood that includes the William G. and Mary A. Ryan Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, the John L. Keeley, MD, Emergency Department, a Level 1 trauma center, Illinois's largest burn center, the Nancy W. Knowles Orthopaedic Institute, a certified comprehensive stroke center, transplant center and a children’s hospital. Having delivered compassionate care for over 50 years, Loyola also trains the next generation of caregivers through its academic affiliation with Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.
For more information, visit loyolamedicine.org. You can also follow Loyola Medicine on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter).
About Trinity Health
Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, faith-based health care systems in the nation. It is a family of 127,000 colleagues and more than 38,300 physicians and clinicians caring for diverse communities across 26 states. Nationally recognized for care and experience, the Trinity Health system includes 93 hospitals, 107 continuing care locations, the second largest PACE program in the country, 142 urgent care locations and many other health and well-being services. In fiscal year 2024, the Livonia, Michigan-based health system invested $1.3 billion in its communities in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. For more information, visit us at www.trinity-health.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter).