Organ Transplant Waiting Lists Not Limited to In-State Residents...Steve Jobs' Liver Transplant Showcases Travel Option for Organ ...( New Orleans ' Ochsner Medical ...),Health

New Orleans' Ochsner Medical Center Offers Short Wait Times & High Survival for Liver Transplants

NEW ORLEANS, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- (www.ochsner.org/transplant) - It's a little known fact that California resident and Founder/CEO of Apple, Inc., Steve Jobs, has brought to light: patients in need of transplants can be added to waiting lists in other states. New Orleans-based Ochsner Medical Center, which has some of the nation's shortest wait times and highest success rates, encourages patients nationwide to research their options when in need of an organ transplant.

Jobs reportedly underwent liver transplant surgery in Tennessee, over 2,000 miles from his California home, showcasing that residency is not contingent upon joining multiple, organ transplant waiting lists in other states. "Many patients don't realize they can be listed in several programs simultaneously and increase their chances of transplant, if they're listed in different regions of the U.S.," explains Dr. George Loss, Transplant Surgeon and Chief of Ochsner's Multi-Organ Transplant Institute in New Orleans.

According to UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing), who manages the distribution of organs in the U.S., there is no residency requirement for transplant patients. "On average, Ochsner's liver transplantation patients are made up of 60% Louisiana residents and 40% out-of-state residents," says Dr. Loss. Ochsner's median wait time for a liver transplant is 60 days and the one-year survival rate is 93.5% (National patient survival rate 88%).

"As more patients become aware of their ability to travel to receive a transplant, we hope the outcome will be additional lives saved and a renewed awareness of the gift of life, encouraging people to sign up to become organ donors," says
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