Multi-Organ Transplant Program

Our History

In 1972, University Hospital opened its doors and within six months surgeons had performed the hospital's first kidney transplant.

Researchers working with the LHSC Transplant Program began conducting test-tube experiments to manipulate the body's immune system and prevent organ rejection. In 1979, the drug company that discovered cyclosporine chose our hospital as one of the first centres worldwide to conduct a clinical study using this new anti-rejection medication. With the advent of cyclosporine, transplantation was on the rise.

In 1981, 14 months after the cyclosporine trials began, physicians noticed a significant decrease in organ rejection. The success of kidney transplants jumped from 50 per cent to 80 per cent survival one year after surgery.

London Health Sciences Centre added to kidney transplants with liver transplants (1977), heart transplants (1981), small bowel transplants (1988), and lung transplants (1989). The first bone marrow transplant at LHSC was performed in 1989 to treat a patient with leukemia.

By 1987, our hospital had established itself internationally as a centre for multi-organ transplantation. The Ministry of Health recognized this status by granting funds to build the 12-bed Multi-Organ Transplant Unit.

One of our earliest patients is Canada's longest surviving liver transplant recipient, now celebrating 28 years of healthy life after transplant. Our longest-surviving kidney recipient is celebrating 35 years of healthy life, having received a transplant in 1975. Some of our heart recipients have now had their transplants for more than 25 years. When the 500th heart transplant was performed at LHSC in 2003, our centre had performed more heart transplants than any other centre in Canada. In 2004, combined kidney-pancreas transplant was added to the list of transplants performed at LHSC.

Innovation has been a hallmark of our Multi-Organ Transplant Program. To address the shortage of donated organs, surgeons at LHSC have split livers from deceased donors into two halves so each half could be transplanted into separate recipients, suitably size-matched for the grafts. In 1993, a mother donated a piece of her liver so it could be transplanted into her infant son. Seven years later, in another Canadian first, that technique was extended to adult recipients by taking the larger right half of the liver from a living donor and transplanting it into an adult recipient.

Our program's participation in cutting-edge discoveries has led to many transplant "firsts" :