Westchester Medical Center Performs 5 Heart Transplants in 12 Days
300 New Yorkers are on the waiting list for heart transplants; sign up to become an organ donor this Valentine's Day and give a real gift of love/life.
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There's Valentine's Day paper hearts and then there's the real thing, the organ that pumps blood to our bodies. If not necessarily the seat of love, the heart is certainly the seat of our life.
This week marks an amazing, and timely, milestone for Valhalla's Westchester Medical Center. Surgeons performed five heart transplants in just a 12-day period from January 25 to February 6.
“More often than not, the availability of organs for transplant can be very unpredictable, especially with hearts,” said Dr. Alan Gass, Director of Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, in a press release from the WMC.
“Sometimes we are lucky enough to be able to do several in a short period of time—we did two in one day back in May, 2009. Other times we can wait weeks between heart transplants.” On a recent day in January, Gass said, “there were eight patients at Westchester Medical Center who were waiting for heart transplants.”
For those patients waiting for a new heart, there is technology. Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices, heart pumps basically, can help – but only for so long.
“With so many people waiting for organs, these mechanical heart pumps can be used as a bridge to transplantation—providing an increased quality of life, an improvement in the patient’s health and most importantly, time, to wait for a suitable donor organ," said Gass. "But they are not the solution—increased organ donation and awareness is. Sadly, New York State ranks 47th out of 50 states for organ donation."
Some stats from the NY Organ Donor Network:
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Almost 122,000 Americans are waiting for organs
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Which includes 300 New Yorkers on the waiting list for heart transplants
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And over 3,100 people waiting for heart transplants nationwide
Westchester Medical Center...
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Performs all solid organ transplants
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Is one of only four heart transplant centers in New York State
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Has performed 59 heart transplants since 2006
“Knowing the facts about organ donation and signing up to be a donor is great, but just as important, is letting your loved ones know your wishes,” said Gass.
So this Valentine's Day, really give a gift of love, and life, by signing up to be an organ donor. Get more information on organ donation or sign up online through the New York State Organ and Tissue Donor Registry at http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/donor/index.htm.
Krista Madsen
11:56 am on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Submitted to me from LifeSharers: "There are now over 112,000 people on the National Transplant Waiting List, with over 50% of these people dying before they get a transplant. Americans bury or cremate 20,000 transplantable organs every year. Give donated organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die. Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. Everyone who is willing to receive should be willing to give. Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition. LifeSharers has over 14,900 members as of this writing, including 807 members in New York. Please contact me - Dave Undis, Executive Director of LifeSharers - if your readers would like to learn more about our innovative approach to increasing the number of organ donors. I can arrange interviews with some of our local members if you're interested. My email address is daveundis@lifesharers.org. My phone number is 615-351-8622."