NEW ORLEANS - In keeping with Ochsner Medical Center's "never close" policy, today the Jefferson Highway facility resumed highly complex transplantation surgeries. At 9:30am this morning, liver transplant surgery began on a 62-year-old New Orleans man marking Ochsner's 60th liver transplant this year. This afternoon, Ochsner expects to begin another liver transplant and three kidney transplants (#72, #73, #74 for the year) on local residents. The Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute's Cardiac Catheterization lab and Electrophysiology services have also resumed with 13 cases scheduled today. The Jefferson Highway campus' patient census is 341.
"Transplantation surgery is one of the most complex medical procedures to perform, and it's a testament to Ochsner's advance planning and preparedness that we are able to resume these surgeries just days after Gustav's impact," says Dr. George Loss, liver transplant surgeon and Director, Abdominal Transplant at Ochsner.
Earlier this year, Ochsner celebrated its 1000th liver, 1000th kidney, and 700th heart transplants - all major medical milestones. Only 22 transplant centers in the U.S., including Ochsner, share these powerful statistics.
Dr. Loss explains that, "The Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Center is the Gulf South's leading transplant center and our abdominal transplantation program has some of the best survival rates in the nation." Ochsner performs more transplants per year than any other transplant facility in the region; is a Medicare approved transplant center for heart, liver and kidney transplantation. For more information, call Ochsner's 24-hour Transplant hotline at (800) 643-1635.
When preparing for a disaster, Ochsner's Transplant team advises that transplant patients prepare ahead of time with the following tips.
- Take at least a week's supply of medications in a waterproof zip-lock bag
- Carry the following identification with you at all times: insurance cards, medication cards, doctor contact information.
All Ochsner Hospitals are open and fully functional to serve the community:
- Ochsner Medical Center, 1514 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson
- Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner, 180 West Esplanade Ave., Kenner
- Ochsner Medical Center - West Bank, 2500 Belle Chasse Highway, Gretna
- Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge, 17000 Medical Center Dr., Baton Rouge
- Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital - 4608 Highway 1, Raceland
- Ochsner Baptist Medical Center - 2700 Napoleon Ave., New Orleans
Nearly all Ochsner Health Centers are open with regular hours. Please visit http://www.ochsner.org/ or call 1-877-OCHSNER for a full listing.
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