5 Recipients, 6 Organs in 24 Hours

NEW ORLEANS, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Although Mother's Day is typically reserved for the ladies in our lives, on Sunday, May 9, 2010, five men received some very special gifts granting the final wishes of several Louisiana organ donors. Within a 24-hour period, Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans transplanted six organs, in five, nearly consecutive surgeries, utilizing the extraordinary efforts of nearly a hundred of this region's most dedicated medical professionals. The rigorous transplant surgeries took place in the following order at Ochsner:

The first organs transplanted on May 9, at 1:00am and 6:00am, were from separate donors. The three additional, nearly simultaneous transplants, a heart, lungs, liver and kidney, were from a single donor.

"Every organ donation is a gift and every transplant surgery is a medical masterpiece, intricately coordinated and executed by dozens of medical professionals," says Dr. George Loss, transplant surgeon and Chief of the Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute. "What makes this event stand out is that it illustrates Ochsner's depth of care; thereby its ability to perform five, intensely complex surgeries within a 24 hour period."

The number of physicians and medical personnel involved in helping a single transplant patient is triple that of the average patient, so to coordinate five transplants in a single day is tremendous. Loss says, "It speaks to the dedication of the transplant staff and the incredibly focused team of specialized OR scrub technicians, nurses, blood bank specialists, cell saver technicians, specialized anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists."

"Ochsner has perfected the team approach in order to provide this level of care to the community," continues Loss. "Being a multi-disciplinary organization means that all of our patients have a team of doctors who communicate, in real time, to ensure that every condition is treated with the whole body in mind."

Ochsner's transplant team has performed 3,720 total transplants since its inception in 1984.

For more information, call Ochsner's 24-hour Transplant Hotline at 1-800-643-1635.

SOURCE Ochsner Medical Center

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