UK Transplant Center celebrates another record year of life-saving transplants

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 21, 2026) — The University of Kentucky Transplant Center performed 234 organ transplants in 2025, surpassing 2024’s total of 224 transplants. Nationally, the UK Transplant Center is in the top third of transplant centers based on volume.  

Transplant teams performed 119 kidney transplants — 38 of which were from living donors — 80 liver transplants, 20 heart transplants, 14 lung transplants and one combination kidney/pancreas transplant. All organ groups saw an increase in procedures from 2024.  

“What we’re seeing, year after year, is a transplant program that continues to grow, reflecting our dedication to helping our patients get a second chance at life,” said Roberto Gedaly, M.D., director of the UK Transplant Center. “We’re expanding our team, our capacity and our outreach to ensure that all Kentuckians have access to life-saving organ transplants.”  

A record year for the liver transplant program 

The liver transplant team performed a record 80 liver transplants, the most ever done at UK HealthCare and in Kentucky in one year. Since the program began in 1995, more than 1,300 people have received a lifesaving liver transplant. 

According to Malay Shah, M.D., surgical director to the liver transplant program, the success is due to a number of factors, including increased patient access and outreach, as well as the availability of technology that allows for the recovery of more donor organs from a larger geographic region.  

The Transmedics OCS™ Liver is an organ transportation system that mimics the body’s circulation system, allowing blood to continuously pump through the liver during transport. Previously, donor livers were transported in ice. When the organ arrives at the transplant center, surgeons like Shah would have to test how well the liver functioned and determine if the prolonged ice exposure resulted in damage to the blood vessels and tissue. The longer an organ goes without blood flow, the higher the risk of cellular death, which in turn can lead to a less-than-optimal outcome for the patient.   

“It’s not about just doing a record number of transplants,” said Shah. “We’ve got to have good outcomes. Any transplant center can do bunch of liver transplants or kidney transplants, but at the end of the day, it’s about selecting a good organ that’s going to work well, and that the patient is going to do well. And I think we’re doing a good job with that.”  

A patient’s place on the waiting list for a liver transplant is determined by their MELD score, or model for end-stage liver disease. The severity of their illness is scored on a scale from six to 40; the higher the MELD score, the sicker the patient. Prior to the use of the OCS Liver, and due to the scarcity of acceptable donor livers from the surrounding region, transplant centers would often see waiting patients’ scores climb into the upper 30s before a suitable donor liver became available. With this new technology, the average MELD score of a recipient at UK Transplant Center is 25. 

“Before the pump, you'd have to get really sick to get an acceptable liver,” said Shah. “Our MELD scores were 30 plus, but now they're dropping because we’re able to get people transplanted sooner. They are a bit healthier when they get their transplant. They’re still sick, but at the end of the day, they’re healthier than somebody in the ICU with a MELD of 40. The healthier you are going into surgery, the better outcome you will have.” 

Without the OCS Liver technology, Shah estimates the UK Transplant Center could only perform about 35 liver transplants a year. The investment in the technology is a testament to UK HealthCare’s commitment to ensuring that every Kentuckian who needs a liver transplant can get one. 

“We have a lot of good institutional support here,” said Shah. “The administration has done a lot to make sure that transplant is a high priority. We’re the premier transplant center in the state. If we can’t care for the patients with end stage liver disease, who can?” 

Helping 80 people get a second chance at life is very rewarding, Shah said. And he’s quick to point out that it’s very much the result of a team effort. He cites Lanla Conteh, M.D., chief of the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, and Christina Delacruz Leyson, M.D., medical director of the liver transplant program among the many physicians, surgeons, nursing staff, nutritionists, social workers, pre- and post-transplant coordinators, administrators and others who made 2025 a record year for the program.  

“The surgeons — my partners that I work with — are very talented,” he said. “Our hepatologists like Dr. Leyson take care of these patients and keep them healthy enough so we can even transplant them. And our liver coordinators and our administrative teams are awesome.” 

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Shah envisions the impact UK HealthCare can make for those living with advanced liver disease. Currently, the UK Transplant Center has 94 people listed for liver transplant. In the not-to-distant future, waiting patients could have a new avenue for transplantation: living donors. A healthy donor can donate a portion of their liver to a patient with advanced liver disease; both livers will regrow to a normal size. Such a procedure could drastically reduce the time a patient spends on the waiting list, while also leading to better outcomes with living, healthy livers. Of the 250 transplant centers in the United States, only 46 have transplant teams qualified to perform the procedure. Although there is not yet a timeline for UK HealthCare’s living liver program, as Shah and his team will have to undergo extensive training and credentialing, Shah said this procedure’s availability will be a literal lifeline for Kentuckians battling liver disease. 

Dedicated, compassionate care for organ donors and their families  

In 2025, UK HealthCare opened the Donor Care Unit (DCU), the first dedicated space in Kentucky for the care of patients who will be giving the gift of life through organ donation. In this unit, and throughout the process of evaluation, organ recovery and aftercare, families can spend time with them and receive ongoing support from Network for Hope’s Family Support Coordinator. By facilitating the transfer of patients from regional hospitals to Chandler Hospital, families can anticipate a continuity of care and communication throughout their stay. A dedicated team, specially trained in caring for patients with brain death, will be available 24 hours a day. Since opening in May, the DCU served and cared for 14 donors and their families.  

“When families choose organ donation, they deserve compassion and constant support,” said Kevin Hatton, M.D., chief medical officer for UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital. “The DCU is designed to meet that need, providing dignified donor care and a steady presence for families from admission through aftercare. Caring for patients in a dedicated unit also ensures support for the organs, leading to better outcomes for the organ recipients.”  

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As the premier transplant center in Kentucky, UK HealthCare has provided solid organ transplantation services to more than 6,000 patients throughout the region since 1964. As an advanced center, the skilled transplant teams also perform complex combined transplants for double-lung, liver-lung, kidney-pancreas, heart-lung and heart-kidney.  

The UK Transplant Center has clinic locations in Lexington, Louisville, Bowling Green and Northern Kentucky, providing pre- and post-surgical care for transplant patients near the communities where they live and work. Transplant teams include physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners and nurse coordinators, pharmacists, nutritionists, social workers and support staff who specialize in caring for transplant patients and guiding them through the transplant process, from the initial consultation through surgery and beyond.