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Transplantation

Sandip Kapur, MD

Associate Professor of Surgery (Transplantation)
Weill Cornell Medical College

Chief, Transplantation Surgery
Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Programs
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Weill Cornell Medical Center

Welcome

The NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Transplant program was the first kidney transplant program established in New York State - now more than four decades ago. Since that time, over 3,000 kidney transplants have been performed. With over 200 kidney transplants performed each year since 2006, our program is among the largest in the country offering the very latest transplant management protocols and surgical interventions. We are the only transplant center in the New York tri-state area that has 1- and 3-year graft survival rates that are significantly higher compared to the expected outcomes. Notably, this has occurred in the setting of high transplant volumes in a diverse and often complicated patient population. Our patient survival is excellent as well, with both deceased and living donor transplant recipients having 3 year survival that is superior to the expected survival in this population.

Our philosophy is to maximize opportunities for transplantation of our patients. Below is a list of options that allow us to increase the donor pool and perform more transplants. If there is a way to transplant our patient safely, we will find it!

• Transplantation of patients through local or national donor exchange programs
• Transplantation of patients with a positive crossmatch against their donor through a pre-transplant treatment regimen
• Transplantation of patients with a blood type incompatible donor (ABO incompatible) through a pre-transplant treatment regimen
• Utilization of expanded criteria donor kidneys (older donors and/or those with pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure)
• Transplantation of patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection, Hepatitis C infection, and/or Hepatitis B infection
• Utilization of Hepatitis C positive kidneys for select patients with Hepatitis C
• Minimally invasive donor surgery with laparoscopic removal of kidney

For the first time in the history of kidney transplantation, we are able to individualize the medication regimen used to suppress the immune system and reduce the amount of exposure to these medications by utilizing molecular tools developed at Weill Cornell. Since 2001, over 80% of our kidney transplant patients receive a steroid-sparing medication regimen and nearly 1,000 transplanted patients are completely off of steroids.

Our expertise extends to pancreas transplantation. In addition to our whole-organ pancreas transplant program, we are the only center in the tri-state region to have performed successful human islet cell transplantation - a minimally invasive procedure to isolate the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin and implant them in a patient in order to treat Type 1 diabetes. Our skilled transplant surgeons offer progressive therapeutic options not generally available through other transplantation programs, with lower rejection rates and higher graft survival rates compared to national standards. In cooperation with the Rogosin Institute, we have developed a comprehensive multidisciplinary program that provides access to the best in medical and surgical expertise. Our Transplant Research Program, amongst the best in the world, allows for developments in the laboratory to be brought directly to our patients' bedside.

Our team of surgeons, physicians, nurses, transplant coordinators, social workers, financial counselors, nutritionists, and pharmacists are dedicated to excellence in patient care and to maximizing outcomes for all transplant patients.

For more information on the NewYork-Presbyterian - Weill Cornell Transplant Center please contact us.