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

At first, Chris noticed he’d be out of breath while carrying equipment during his son’s Little League games. Eventually the lack of oxygen made it difficult to move and caused his thoughts to blur. His doctors said he desperately needed another transplant, but surgeons at 15 centers had rejected his case, saying it was too complex.

It was October 2023 when Chris and wife Liz prepared to call the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai after meeting with the lung transplant team there. They braced for another compassionate—but emphatic—no. Instead, what they heard was that the team would take his case.

“They were willing to give me more time with my family,” Chris, now 48, said.

Chris and Liz gathered their kids in the living room and they hugged as they shared the news. The family would be temporarily relocating to Los Angeles to begin the process of getting Chris on the organ transplant list.

“When you read his story on paper, you can be taken aback by what's a very risky endeavor,” said Dominick Megna, MD, surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Cedars-Sinai. “When you actually meet Chris, you see something totally different. You see a guy who's willing to fight, who has resilience and drive in him and a loving wife willing to support him.”

When Liz met Chris in high school Spanish class, she thought he was funny. Soon they were going to the movies together and talking on the phone for hours.

Chris told Liz not to fall in love with him. That’s because at 8 days old, Chris had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a disease that causes the lungs to create an excess of thick, sticky mucus that clogs airways.

“I warned her it’d be a life of doctors’ appointments,” Chris said.

They dated anyway, often hanging out with friends and family in their Houston suburb, and Liz would visit Chris during his frequent hospitalizations.

“He's always been an incredibly generous, authentic and intelligent person,” Liz said. “I knew from a young age that he was the person I wanted to spend my life with.”

They married when Liz was 20 and Chris 22. After many difficult conversations, Chris and Liz chose to have children through in vitro fertilization after bloodwork confirmed Liz was not a carrier of the genetic mutations that cause cystic fibrosis. Both parents must carry the altered cystic fibrosis gene for a child to inherit the condition. 

The family eventually moved to Arizona, where the arid climate allowed Chris to breathe easier than the Houston humidity.

Exercise helps keep the lung mucus at bay and Chris was diligent about daily workouts. Despite this, his lungs required constant care, so much so that Liz created a play area in his hospital rooms for their children. When Chris’ condition forced him to leave his job as a physical therapist, he learned to do personal investing from home.

A double lung transplant in 2015 made it possible for Chris to see both of his children finish elementary school, his son enter middle school and his daughter start high school.

When those lungs started to lose function because of chronic rejection, Chris knew a second transplant would be more challenging. Scar tissue from previous surgeries can interfere with the reattachment of new organs. Chris also had been diagnosed with superior vena cava syndrome, a condition in which one of the body’s main veins has a blockage and cannot circulate blood properly.

“Because of this syndrome, he had poor venous access and an increase in collateral circulation to his right chest, which would increase his risk of bleeding during surgery,” said Reinaldo Rampolla, MD, medical director of the Lung Transplant Program.

Another complicating factor was that after his first transplant Chris had developed a debilitating condition called post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, a reaction to the many drugs he took to prevent his body from rejecting the first transplant. Although he had been in remission from the disease, physicians were aware that he was at risk.

By the time a donor match was made for Chris in March 2024, he had already been intubated because he couldn’t breathe on his own. Megna and transplant surgeon Pedro Catarino, MD, working with a team of other surgeons, anesthesiologists, surgical technicians and operating room nurses, dissected scar tissue and prepared Chris’ blood vessels to attach to the new lungs. A heart-lung machine called ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, kept Chris alive during the eight-hour operation. Chris became one of 88 patients who received a lung transplant at Cedars-Sinai in 2024.

Today, he’s back in Arizona, lifting weights five days a week, playing baseball with his 13-year-old son, and helping his 16-year-old daughter prepare for college.

“We expect Chris to have a great long-term outcome,” Megna said.

Rampolla is treating Chris with low doses of immunosuppressive drugs to avoid the toxicity that made him sick after his first transplant. Chris travels to Cedars-Sinai for checkups every three months, but these visits will be less frequent as he adapts to his new organs.

Improved surgical techniques and immunotherapy treatments are making it possible for more people to qualify for a transplant. But more than 100,000 people are waiting for an organ in the United States, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Liz gives talks in her community about signing up to be an organ donor. “It’s a horrible thing to think about, but it can be comforting knowing that if something terrible happens to you, you could give life to someone else,” she said.

For Chris, his goals keep changing. He once hoped to be well enough to walk his daughter into kindergarten. He currently looks forward to seeing both children finish college and begin their adult lives.

“Organ donation means everything,” Chris said. “If someone hadn't been generous enough to donate their lungs, my children would have grown up fatherless a long time ago.”

Read more from the Cedars-Sinai Blog: 7 Myths About Organ Donation

Cedars-Sinai is among the top 10 transplant centers in the U.S. by volume, according to published data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), and is known for accepting complex, high-risk cases.

“Behind every transplant is a patient who desperately waited for a chance at life,” said Irene Kim, MD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center. “It is the remarkable generosity of organ donors and their families that allowed our transplant teams to give 682 patients the chance to have longer and healthier lives.”

Cedars-Sinai’s organ transplant program has experienced a 64% year-over-year increase since 2017, when 415 transplants were performed. Over the last decade, its transplant volume has increased by 84%, from 371 in 2014 to 682 in 2024.

Multiple drivers are behind the upward trend in organ transplants at Cedars-Sinai and nationwide, said Kim, the Esther and Mark Schulman Chair in Surgery and Transplantation Medicine.

“Machine perfusion techniques are allowing us to use donor organs that may previously have been less ideal for transplant,” Kim said. “The technology helps preserve organs before transplantation, lengthening viability, improving assessment of organ function and contributing to improved patient outcomes.”

According to the OPTN, 48,149 transplants occurred in the U.S. in 2024—more than in any other year.

But the need for more organs remains significant: More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are on the organ transplant waiting list, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, the nonprofit organization that manages the U.S. organ transplant system.

Multiple collaborations among various sectors are underway to increase organ donations in an effort to reach a new national goal: 60,000 deceased donor transplants annually in the U.S. by the end of 2026.  

New Records in Heart, Liver and Lung Transplants

The Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai is home to the largest thoracic organ transplant program by volume in California and the second-largest heart transplant center by volume in the U.S. 

The team, including 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, led the clinical and surgical teams that performed 137 adult heart transplants, including three heart-lung transplants, surpassing the 2023 record of 132. 

The lung transplant team, led by surgical director Dominick Megna, MD, and medical director Reinaldo Rampolla, MD, also reached a new milestone in 2024 with 88 lungs transplanted (including three heart-lung transplants), up from 82 in 2023. More than a quarter were completed using minimally invasive procedures—2- to 3-inch incisions that lead to reduced pain, recovery times and complications after surgery. Nine percent of minimally invasive lung transplant surgeries at Cedars-Sinai—more than that of any other program in the world—were robotic-assisted.

The liver transplant team, led by Kim, surgical director of the Liver Transplant Program, and Alexander Kuo, MD, professor of Medicine and medical director of the Liver Transplant Program, performed 136 liver transplants in 2024, exceeding the 2021 record of 113 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 2024, including five pancreas-kidney transplants. In 2023, the program set a record with 336 kidney transplants performed.

Kim emphasized that the expertise and dedication of Cedars-Sinai’s multidisciplinary transplant teams—physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, physician assistants, dietitians, technicians, perfusionists, researchers, administrative professionals and others—are what enable transplants for so many patients.

“They are the ultimate caregivers,” Kim said. “And it is the organ donors and their families who represent ultimate altruism. They are the foundation that gives others an opportunity at life.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: The Wait for a New Heart

Known for leading-edge therapies and taking on the most complex patients, Cedars-Sinai transplant teams also completed a triple organ transplant in 2023, performing a successful heart, liver and kidney transplant during a 20-hour surgery.

“Genuine compassion, commitment and teamwork enable us to perform these lifesaving operations,” said Irene Kim, MD, the Esther and Mark Schulman Chair in Surgery and Transplantation Medicine and director of the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center. “We are so fortunate to be able to offer our patients lifesaving treatments through donors’ gifts of life.”

There currently are more than 100,000 people in the U.S. on the organ transplant waiting list, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, the nonprofit organization that manages the U.S. organ transplant system. About 20,000 of those are in California.

In 2023, Cedars-Sinai was the ninth-largest transplant center by volume in the U.S., according to current published data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network.

The Comprehensive Transplant Center and Smidt Heart Institute reported excellent patient outcomes, with one-year survival after transplantation at 91% or greater and lung, liver and kidney survival exceeding the national average.

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, demonstrated the largest leap. The team performed 336 kidney transplants in 2023, including 15 pediatric transplants. The previous record was 298.

The liver transplant team, led by Nicholas Nissen, MD, surgical director of the Liver Transplant Program and director of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, and Alexander Kuo, MD, professor of Medicine and medical director of the Liver Transplant Program, performed 104 liver transplants in 2023. The 2022 figure was 102.

The Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute is home to one of the largest thoracic organ transplant programs in the U.S. Led by Jon Kobashigawa, MD, director of Advanced Heart Disease and the Heart Transplant Program in the Smidt Heart Institute, and Fardad Esmailian, MD, surgical director of the Heart Transplant Program, the team performed 130 adult heart transplants and two heart-lung transplants in 2023.

The lung transplant team, led by surgical director Dominick Megna, MD, and medical director Reinaldo Rampolla, MD, also reached a new milestone in 2023 with 80 lungs transplanted, placing the program among the top 10 of U.S. lung transplant programs.

The Cedars-Sinai multidisciplinary transplant teams include physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, physician assistants, dietitians, technicians, perfusionists, researchers, administrative professionals and others committed to successful organ transplants.

“So many people work together to create these lifesaving programs, and the contributions of our donors, family and friends who support our transplant team are profound,” Kim said. “They step in to help our patients and their caregivers make it through a transplant, help each other when things get busy and offer our patients and team members emotional and physical support when needed. That is truly inspiring.” 

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: 7 Myths About Organ Donation

The kidney/pancreas transplant team completed 317 transplant surgeries (316 kidney and one dual kidney-pancreas), topping its previous record of 290 transplant surgeries (279 kidney, 10 kidney-pancreas and one pancreas) in fiscal year 2021, according to statistics compiled by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the nonprofit organization that manages the U.S. organ transplant system. Fifteen of the 2023 transplants were pediatric kidney transplants, the most the center ever has completed in one year.  

“Organ transplantation requires close coordination and trust from a large team of professionals who truly care about patients,” said Irene Kim, MD, the Esther and Mark Schulman Chair in Surgery and Transplantation Medicine, director of the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center and surgical director of the Kidney Transplant Program. “Physicians, nurses and coordinators, social workers, dietitians, administrative professionals and so many more all work together to make it happen. Most importantly, organ transplantation would not be possible without the lifesaving gifts of organ donors.”

Surgeons in the Department of Cardiac Surgery performed 202 thoracic organ transplants during fiscal year 2023. The team's 126 heart transplants during fiscal year 2023 is a significant increase over the previous year’s total of 105. Surgeons also performed more lung transplants during fiscal year 2023, with 76 transplants compared to 72 during fiscal year 2022.

“We are proud to offer state-of-the-art care to all our heart and lung transplant patients, who are often referred by other transplant centers for advanced therapies, such as innovative, minimally invasive lung transplants that help our patients get back to a better quality of life sooner," said Joanna Chikwe, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery.

Liver transplant surgeons, led by Nicholas Nissen, MD, director of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, and Alexander Kuo, MD, professor of Medicine and medical director of the Liver Transplant Program, performed 97 transplants, nearly as many as the prior fiscal year.

Although Cedars-Sinai’s transplant volumes are impressive, they don’t tell the complete story, Kim said.

“Cedars-Sinai is a national leader in performing complicated transplant surgeries,” she said. “We take on some of the most complex cases, often referred to us from other medical centers.”

These include highly sensitized patients, who have high levels of antibodies in their blood, making their bodies more likely to reject organs.

Cedars-Sinai’s Stanley Jordan, MD, director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center’s Human Leukocyte Antigen and Transplant Immunology Laboratory and professor of Medicine, is a pioneer in the development of desensitization therapies, which remove prohibitive anti-HLA antibodies from the blood and enable those patients with these antibodies to receive a lifesaving transplant.

Read more in Discoveries: Meet Transplant Surgery Trailblazer Irene Kim, MD