UCLA Leads the Nation in Kidney Transplants

UCLA Health led the nation last year in the number of kidney transplants, with a record 363 surgeries performed at its Westwood campus, the university announced.

The kidney transplants were done at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which ranked first among U.S. hospitals that performed nearly 20,000 kidney transplants in 2017, according to the United Network of Organ Sharing.

“Without a doubt, we have one of the most active kidney programs in the nation,” said Dr. H. Albin Gritsch, surgical director of kidney transplantation and a professor of urology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, in a statement. “Even more important, we continue to make innovations to improve the chances for a successful kidney transplant.”

Doctors at UCLA have pioneered a kidney vouchers program, in which living donors commit a kidney to a loved one for a future transplant, with dozens of other transplant centers following the university’s lead.

Kidney specialists have also practiced a rare procedure known as “regifting,” when one previously donated kidney is re-donated to a new patient after the initial recipient dies, saving another life.

Health business reporter Dana Bartholomew can be reached at dbartholomew@labusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @_DanaBart.