Irene Kim, MD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center, partially credits the increase in liver transplants to the use of machine perfusion, a technology that circulates oxygen-rich, nutrient-rich, blood-based solution through donor organs until transplantation. Machine perfusion reduces graft dysfunction, allowing organs to be viable longer and improving physicians’ assessments of the organs ahead of transplantation—all of which has served to increase donor organ availability, Kim said.

A willingness to take on the most complex cases also helped drive the increase in lung transplants, according to Kim, as Cedars-Sinai is known for accepting high-risk cases that had been previously turned away by other institutions.

“We are committed to staying on the leading edge of transplant technology to ensure the best results for our patients, with survival outcomes that continue to meet or exceed the national average,” Kim said. “The more organs we can transplant, the more patients can receive a second chance at life. It’s a privilege to not only help these patients, but also to honor the donors who gave the ultimate gift of life.”

According to published data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), 49,065 transplants occurred in the U.S. in 2025—more than in any other year. With records continuing to be set year over year, the OPTN has set an ambitious nationwide goal of 60,000 deceased donor transplants annually by the end of 2026.

New Records in Liver and Lung Transplants, Living Kidney Donors

The Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute is the largest heart transplant center by volume in California, with clinical and surgical teams performing 114 adult heart transplants in 2025. The team, led by Joanna Chikwe, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fardad Esmailian, MD, surgical director of the Heart Transplant Program, and Jon Kobashigawa, MD, director of the Heart Transplant Program in the Department of Cardiology, has maintained an average of more than 100 heart transplants each year for the last 13 years, a current record in the U.S.

Surgical Director Dominick Megna, MD, and Medical Director Reinaldo Rampolla, MD, led the lung transplant team to perform 93 lung transplants in 2025—the most ever at Cedars-Sinai—surpassing its previous record of 88 in 2024. The Lung Transplant Program in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai continues to be the largest by volume in California and, in 2025, earned a place as a top 10 center by volume in the U.S.

The Liver Transplant Program also reached new milestones. The team, led by Kim, as surgical director, and Alexander Kuo, MD, professor of Medicine and medical director of the Liver Transplant Program, performed 145 liver transplants in 2025, exceeding the 2024 record of 136 transplants.

The Kidney Transplant Program team, led by Stanley Jordan, MD, medical director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center’s Human Leukocyte Antigen and Transplant Immunology Laboratory, and Tsuyoshi Todo, MD, surgical director, completed 324 transplants in 2025, including one pancreas-kidney transplant.

Notably, the team performed 80 living donor kidney transplants in 2025, setting a record for the number of living donor kidney transplants performed at Cedars-Sinai, with a more than 15% increase over the previously held record volume of 69 in 2013. This program, led by Steven Wisel, MD, and Reiad Najjar, MD, has transformed into a completely robotic surgical program.

“These achievements are a testament to the hardworking team at the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center,” said Kim, the Esther and Mark Schulman Chair in Surgery and Transplantation Medicine. “But none of these lifesaving procedures would be possible without the altruism of organ donors and their families. We are tremendously grateful to those who give the gift of life through organ donation.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: After Lung Transplant, a Return to Running

The three-star quality rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons is the organization’s highest rating and recognizes Cedars-Sinai’s cardiac surgery team for its outstanding patient care and low rates of surgical and post-surgical complications.

“Our team has long held the highest recognitions for outcomes in coronary bypass, heart valve and transplant surgery,” said Joanna Chikwe, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai and the Irina and George Schaeffer Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery. “This new rating is testament to our program’s quality and safety record across the entire spectrum of cardiac surgery.”

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons established a database in 1989 to track quality and patient safety. The database includes information voluntarily reported by most hospitals that perform heart surgery in the U.S.

The three-star rating for Cedars-Sinai is based on 1,567 adult cardiac surgery procedures performed between Jan. 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2024. These include coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair and replacement, and combinations of these procedures. The metrics used to create the score apply to any heart surgery done at Cedars-Sinai during that time period, including patients who had multiple surgeries such as a coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic valve repair.

“The growth of the cardiac surgery team is truly remarkable,” said Shlomo Melmed, MB, ChB, executive vice president of Medicine and Health Sciences and dean of the Medical Faculty. “The team melds cutting-edge research and surgical skill to ensure the finest patient care outcomes.”   

The Smidt Heart Institute’s cardiology, heart and vascular surgery programs are rated in the top 10 in the U.S. and #1 in California by U.S. News & World Report.

Read more from the Cedars-Sinai Blog: After Heart Surgery, More to Love

“Rather than have this hanging over us while thinking of rebuilding, I decided I wanted to be operating at an optimum physical level,” Booher, 45, said. “My husband and I looked at each other and said, ‘This is tragic, but it doesn’t change the immediate plan. We’ll move on to the next step.’”

Booher and husband, Steve, along with their three greyhounds, evacuated their home on Jan. 7. He didn’t have time to pack the collection of comic books he has written. The next day, they learned the house was gone. By Jan. 9, Booher was at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai for surgery to repair one of his heart’s valves.  

A few months prior, Booher had been diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation, a condition in which the heart’s mitral valve doesn’t close as it should. Mitral valve regurgitation can cause heart failure, strokes and even sudden death, but it often goes unnoticed because symptoms are subtle. Booher’s fatigue, which he chalked up to his active lifestyle, was one such overlooked sign.

Joanna Chikwe, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, spent last Wednesday reassuring patients who were watching the Sunset fire from the hospital’s windows that they were in the safest place to be.

“I called patients already scheduled to have open-heart surgery to see what they wanted,” she said. “When I saw David’s address I thought, ‘He’ll never want to proceed. He must be overwhelmed.’ But I was astonished and inspired by his resolve. He told me, ‘Let’s fix my heart so I can rebuild my life.’”

Chikwe repaired the faulty heart valve through a tiny incision with the help of a robot, and Booher, recuperating at a friend’s home a few days later, already feels transformed.

“It boggles my mind that they went into my heart, repaired my valve, and now I feel so healthy,” he said. “The change has been remarkable. I feel like my heart is working efficiently. I feel clearheaded.”

Booher is coming to terms with not being able to go back to a community he loves. Altadena is a special place for him, a mix of architecture, mom-and-pop shops and tight-knit neighbors. He and his husband plan to spend time at their cabin in Big Bear where he’ll continue to write.

“Emotionally, it is starting to sink in,” he said. “When I was in the hospital, I was recovering, so I didn’t have the chance to internalize what happened. I have an incredible support system as I am working through my grief of losing everything. I’m grateful our dogs are safe, we are safe and have a place to stay. And I’m grateful for a healthy heart. That’s what we have to hold on to.”

 Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Treatment Options for Heart Valve Disease