News & Events

Read Wendy Rigby's report about the Liver Transplant Program at Texas Transplant Institute^** at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^*.

The Liver Transplant Program at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^* is recognized as the best liver transplant program in the country. Click here to learn more.

Demonstrating the latest technology in Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) available at Texas Transplant Institute's^** Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Program, Dr. Chandra Kunavarapu works with Heart Transplant/VAD Coordinators, Mark Lopez and Jennifer Hiller, to teach staff at Methodist Hospital and other local hospitals how to care for patients with VADs.

To learn more about the largest selection of VADs available in the region, click on the link: Heart Failure Treatment (Surgical)

To watch Wendy Rigby's inspiring feature about Texas Transplant Physician Group's Dr. Michael Kwan and a group of his patients who are training for San Antonio's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on November 13, click the link:  Transplant patients to take on S.A. marathon with full hearts.

Dr. Michael Kwan and Dr. Chandra Kunavarapu are San Antonio's only full-time Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologists.

Be sure to check out Texas Transplant Institute^**'s Facebook page to follow the progress of our marathoners. To watch a short video featuring Dr. Kwan and two more marathoners, click here.

In her blog from the National Meeting of the Heart Failure Society, Ileana Peña, MD, MPH, FAHA, FACC, discusses the newest subspecialty of cardiology and how it addresses an important sub-group of cardiology patients. “We feel that this is a huge step forward since we have felt for many years that we must contribute additional expertise to this group of patients who are very complex and who have a tremendous number of issues, not to exclude end-of-life care and hospice care,” says Peña.

Both Dr. Michael Kwan and Dr. Chandra Kunaravarapu with Texas Transplant Physician Group are board certified in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology.

To watch the KENS 5 story featuring Liver, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Surgeon, Dr. Juan Palma-Vargas discuss the high incidence of liver cancer in Texas and how the Liver Disease and Transplant Program offers a variety of state-of-the-art treatment options, click here and select "Importance of Pre-Screening" from the KENS 5 Cancer Program list.

To watch the Great Day SA feature story with Texas Transplant Physician Group's Dr. Carlos Bachier, Director, Adult and Pediatric Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Program--click here.

Dr. Charles Frederick LeMaistre, Medical Director, Texas Institute of Medicine and Surgery, is pleased to announce that Dr. Carlos Bachier has accepted the role as Director of Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Texas Transplant Institute.

Bringing nearly two decades of clinical experience in Blood and Marrow Transplantation and demonstrating outstanding leadership in the development of new and exciting clinical and research programs, Dr. Bachier is recognized for his significant contributions on both fronts.

As Director of Research for Texas Transplant Institute since 1996, Dr. Bachier has developed a robust infrastructure for clinical research. During this time he has also become recognized for international program development and quality, especially with Central and South America.

To learn more about Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation, click here.

Board-certified Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist Dr. Chandra Kunavarapu with Texas Transplant Physician Group joins the Executive Committee of Texas Transplantation Society as a Heart Councilor. Texas Transplant Society's mission is to facilitate transplantation throughout Texas and Dr. Kunavarapu's responsibilities will include promoting the Society's goals and bringing to their attention specific issues relating to heart transplantation.

"The community of heart transplant cardiologists in Texas is a small one. My membership on this Executive Committee is a great way to communicate with other transplant specialists and raise awareness of heart transplantation in San Antonio," says Dr. Kunavarapu.

Watch this KENS-5 story about Isiah and Israel Spivey and the newest bond they share thanks to the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Program at Texas Transplant Institute**--one of the largest programs of its kind in the United States: click here.

The National Marrow Donor Program's 20-minute animated and live action film "Super Sam Versus the Marrow Monsters: A Guide to Bone Marrow Transplant for Children and Their Familes" features Texas Transplant Physician Group's Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Physician Dr. Veronica Jude and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Lisa McDonald.

Read the heart-warming San Antonio Express-News article about Sandy Elizardo, a nurse at Methodist and Specialty Transplant Hospital^* in San Antonio, Texas, who received a heart transplant through Texas Transplant Physician Group's Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Program shortly after the birth of her first child.

Texas Transplant Institute^**'s Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^* is the largest program of its kind in the entire nation for the second year in a row. To see our latest advertisement in Texas Monthly Magazine, pick up the February 2011 issue and look for the section entitled "State of Health, Achievements and Innovations in Healthcare."

Warren Sallach, 59, received a stem cell transplant at Texas Transplant Institute**’s Adult Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Program in San Antonio, Texas in November, 2009. Thanks to the generosity of Matt Hoffman, a Rowan University linesman who skipped the final game of the year to prepare to donate his stem cells, Mr. Sallach is alive today to spend another Christmas with his family.

Dr. Charles Frederick LeMaistre, Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Physician, and Medical Director, Texas Transplant Physician Group, says Matt’s phenomenal immune system is responsible for Mr. Sallach good outcome. “His lymphoma was very aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy. Even the large doses of chemotherapy given in preparation for the transplant failed to eradicate the cancer. As long as 100 days after his transplant, there was evidence of cancer. That’s usually a sign that a patient might not do well, but we were able to manipulate his immune system that was transferred along with Matt's marrow stem cells and get him into remission,” says Dr. LeMaistre.

To learn more about Matt Hoffman’s and Warren Sallach’s recent heartwarming reunion, check out these links:

CBS News: The American Spirit—Football Player Donates Stem cells, Saves Life

The New York Times: Lineman Steps out of the Trenches to Save a Stranger’s Life

Myfoxphilly.com: Local Football Star Saves a Life

Mr. Sallach was able to get a perfect match for his transplant thanks to a Be the Match drive led by the Rowan football team. Unfortunately, minorities who need blood and marrow stem cell transplants aren’t always as lucky because of the desperate shortage of minority donors. Click on the link to learn how you can join the registry.

Texas Transplant Physician Group is proud to announce that Dr. Michael Kwan and Dr. Chandra Kunavarapu have passed their board exams for a new sub-specialty of Internal Medicine:  Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology. The board certification makes Dr. Kwan and Dr. Kunavarapu the first transplant-certified cardiologists in San Antonio.

Kidney transplant recipient Oscar Jimenez is about to enjoy his first Christmas with a new kidney thanks to a generous co-worker, Lisa Delgado, and to the Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program at Texas Transplant Institute^**.

Dr. Francis Wright, Jr., Director of the Abdominal Organ Transplant Program and a kidney and pancreas transplant surgeon with Texas Transplant Physician Group performed Mr. Jimenez's surgery. "Oscar's kidney transplant is another example of how our team will bend over backwards to turn no into yes for patients in need of a kidney transplant. All potential donors--whether family members, friends, church congregants, or, in this case--near strangers--are rigorously screened and evaluated and we can help them make informed decisions about kidney donation and give the gift of life," says Dr. Wright.

To watch Oscar and Lisa's heart-warming story, click here.

The Non-Directed Kidney Donor Program at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^* continues to break records--and save lives--with 23 kidney transplants resulting from a single donor. The largest single center chain in the world began in November, 2010 with 16 kidney transplants over three days. Another seven kidney transplants were recently completely with remarkable success.

The kidney recipients ranged in age from 17 to 69 and all were transplanted with fully matched kidneys without the need for any desensitization therapy.

Adam Bingaman, MD, PhD, is Director of the Live Donor Kidney Transplant  Program and a Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Surgeon with Texas Transplant Physician Group in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Bingaman and his team are planning to extend the chain further in January, 2011. Stay tuned for more news on these record-breaking achievements.

Texas Transplant Physician Group's kidney transplant surgeon and Director, Live Kidney Donor Transplant Program, Dr. Adam Bingaman, is quoted in the Tennessean.com 's article about the UNOS' pilot program to help find matches for incompatible kidney donor/recipient pairs. Click here to read the full article.

Samuel Smith from Charlotte, Vermont, is one of 16 kidney transplant patients to participate in Texas Transplant Institute^**'s history-making donor exchange. To learn more, click here.

To follow Samuel's extraordinary story, please be sure to check out his family's blog: Smith Kidney Blogspot

See more about the 17 kidney donors and 16 kidney recipients who helped make history this week in Jennifer Dodd's report from Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^*: click here.

To watch Wendy Rigby's report on Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^**'s 16-way kidney paired exchange donor transplants, click here. The story is getting tremendous attention--even CNN picked up the story and it was broadcast on Saturday, November 13! Click here to see the link.

Read the front-page article in the San Antonio Express-News about how a non-directed donor triggered a chain of 16 kidney transplants in a three-day medical marathon: Giving, Giving, Giving the Gift of Life

Read the San Antonio Express-News coverage of Dr. Adam Bingaman's Letter to the Editor in the September 9, 2100 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine: Paired Donations Touted for Kidney Transplant.

Read Dr. Adam Bingaman's Letter to the Editor in the September 9, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrating how Kidney Paired Donation Programs like the one at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^* in San Antonio, Texas--home of the largest living donor kidney transplant program in the United States in 2009--could mean significantly more access to live donor kidney transplants if the program could be replicated across the country.

The kidney transplant program at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^*(MSTH) in San Antonio, Texas, home of the nation’s largest live donor kidney transplant program in 2009¹, published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine that they have increased access to live donor kidney transplantation by 34% with kidney paired donation (KPD). The paired donor program identifies living donors who wish to donate their kidney but cannot because of blood or tissue incompatibility with the recipient.  Incompatible pairs are matched with other incompatible pairs, and the donors are exchanged, resulting in compatible transplant combinations.

From KSAT News: Kidney Pair Program Connects Donors with Patients--click the link to read the story and watch Jennifer Dodd's report about Texas Transplant Institute^**'s Incompatible Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program.

Texas Transplant Institute^** at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^* has been named the #1 provider of living donor kidney transplants in the U.S. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the governmental agency that tracks organ donation and transplantation, Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital provided 162 living donor transplants in 2009 to reach the top spot!  

Read the full article: Helping the Hopeless: San Antonio's Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program is Top in the Nation

We are pleased to announce that Adam Bingaman, MD PhD, has assumed the role of Director of the Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program at Texas Transplant Institute^** and Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^* which also includes directing the Incompatible and Paired Kidney Donation components of the Living Donor Program.

Dr. Bingaman has played a major role in making this the largest living donor kidney program in the nation and the most active donor exchange center in the country. He has been a strong advocate for patients, donors and for the entire Living Donor Team. His duties also include directing the clinical research activities for organ transplantation.

Sharing a database of incompatible kidney recipients and donors means new hope for many more kidney transplant patients: Innovative Kidney Transplant Programs at Texas Transplant Institute** and Emory Transplant Center. For more information, call (210) 575-8425.

Watch a video from KIII TV featuring Dr. Ka Wah Chan and the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Program:  Member of TV-3 Family Faces Tough Times

Watch a video from KENS 5 about Texas Transplant Physician Group's Dr. Juan Palma and his unique surgical technique to remove an orange-sized tumor through a tiny cut in a patient's belly button:  Single incision laparoscopic removal of liver tumor from San Antonio patient is the first of its kind.

The American Board of Medical Specialties has recently announced the creation of a new sub-specialty of Internal Medicine:  Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology.
 
This new certification acknowledges the important role of cardiologists with extensive training and experience in managing complex heart failure and transplant patients.
 
Dr. Michael Kwan and Dr. Chandra Kunavarapu, full-time transplant cardiologists at Texas Transplant Physician Group’s Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Program, will sit for the certification exam on November 9, 2010.
 
For more information about the certification, click this link to read an article from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Read a heartwarming story about a daughter’s gift to her father and the expert team of transplant surgeons with Texas Transplant Physician Group’s Paired Exchange Kidney Transplant Program at Texas Transplant Institute^**: Kidney Donation for Dad

Read a terrific article about one of Texas Transplant Physician Group’s transplant surgeons, Dr. Juan Palma-Vargas, Hepatitis C in the Hispanic community and liver transplantation in the November 2009 issue of NSIDE MD: A New Hope.

Fifty individuals who had lost hope of ever having the kidney transplants that would save their lives had reason to celebrate on Monday, November 9, 2009 as Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^* announced a national transplant milestone–its 50th paired kidney exchange transplant. This unprecedented number of exchange transplants at a single center makes this program the busiest paired exchange transplant program in the country.

Read an article about the 10-year anniversary of Texas Transplant Institute**’s comprehensive adult solid organ transplantation and adult and pediatric blood and marrow stem cell transplantation programs: San Antonio MD News November 2009.

Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital^* staff celebrated the 100^th living donor kidney transplant done this year in August and the live donor transplant rate continues to grow with over a dozen cases each month.

Adam Bingaman, MD, PhD, is a kidney and pancreas transplant surgeon with Texas Transplant Physician Group and practices at Texas Transplant Institute*. He says there are about 245 kidney transplant programs in the United States and only eight of those did more than 100 live donor kidney transplants all year in 2008. The Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital program will be one of the busiest in the nation.

"That demonstrates what a great kidney transplant program we have here at Texas Transplant Institute and what great people we have in South Texas who want to donate," Dr. Bingaman says. "We have a wonderfully dedicated team to assist patients and families to make this happen."

Also significant is the number of incompatible kidney transplants Dr. Bingaman and the team at Texas Transplant Institute have done this year. Around 50 patients have received a kidney through the incompatible donor paired exchange program with two-way and three-way exchanges being arranged to achieve compatible transplants.

"It's an incredible accomplishment; we lead the nation in paired exchanges. And we continue to make matches from the more than 200 potential kidney recipients and more than 300 potential kidney donors in our incompatible database," Dr. Bingaman says.

The live donor kidney transplant program serves patients throughout Texas and surrounding states.

For more information, call (210) 575-8425.

*A Camups of Methodist Hospital
**A Department of Methodist Hospital

Read an article in UNOS Update written by Adam Bingaman, MD, PhD, Director of the Living Donor Incompatible Program, about how our Paired Kidney Exchange Program offers hope to many potential kidney transplant patients.

UNOS Update:  Finding a Match

Two-time NBA All-Star and former San Antonio Spur, Sean Elliott, and his kidney transplant surgeon, Dr. Francis Wright are reunited at a Get Game-Give Life^® event. 

See highlights of their presentation: See It In Action.