MUSC Announces New Lung Transplantation Program
The Medical University of South Carolina is proud to announce the return of the lung transplantation program. MUSC previously performed 25 lung transplants with its last program in 1997. Since that time, residents of South Carolina have had to seek medical care for this life saving procedure outside the state. MUSC has well established and very successful transplantation programs for liver, kidney, pancreas, and heart. Recognizing the clear need for lung transplantation, the institution has dedicated itself to the restart of the program in 2010.
MUSC recruited Dr. William Yarbrough as the Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation in July 2009. Dr. Yarbrough completed his cardiothoracic surgery training at Stanford University and will lead the surgical team. He has extensive experience in lung transplantation and looks forward to performing successful transplants in Charleston. In addition to Dr. Yarbrough, the surgical team will include Drs. Chad Denlinger and John Ikonomidis. Dr. Denlinger was recently recruited to MUSC after completing his training at Washington University in Saint Louis and also has extensive experience with the lung transplant recipient. Dr. Ikonomidis is the Chief of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Section and Surgical Director of the Heart Transplant Program. He is a nationally recognized scholar and also has experience with lung transplantation. In addition, MUSC recruited Dr. Timothy Whelan from the University of Minnesota to become the Medical Director of the Lung Transplantation program. Dr. Whelan has extensive experience in patients with advanced lung disease as well as the post-operative management of the lung transplant recipient. The transplant team is actively working with the University to set up systems that will provide excellent outcomes for our patients. The program has submitted its application to the United Network for Organ Sharing to become a designated lung transplantation center. Once this designation has been received, the program will begin evaluating potential patients for transplant. We are hopeful that the first transplant evaluations will occur in the coming months and will be sure to keep everyone posted. For more information, please contact Brooke Yeager with the MUSC Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Last Updated (Wednesday, 28 July 2010 17:03)