According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), more than 100,000 people are currently waiting for organ transplants in the United States, and more than 5,000 of those people live in Florida. Tampa General Hospital, one of Florida’s leading academic health systems, is helping to close the organ transplant gap, especially in Palm Beach County and on the Treasure Coast. Residents in these regions primarily access organ transplant services in neighboring counties such as Broward and Miami-Dade.

With Tampa General’s growing expansion on Florida’s East Coast, residents can more easily receive access to the academic health system’s TGH Transplant Institute, which provides top transplant care using the most current leading-edge technology and procedures. Tampa General currently ranks No. 5 in the nation for transplants by volume* and is one of only a few dozen hospitals in the U.S. to have performed more than 15,000 transplant surgeries.

As a national leader in advanced organ disease treatment and transplant surgery, Tampa General drives innovation to provide world-class health care to patients before, during and after transplant surgery. Tampa General is the only hospital in West Central Florida to offer all five organ transplants for adult patients. These include heart, lung, liver (living and deceased donor), kidney (living and deceased donor) and pancreas transplants, as well as pediatric kidney transplants. As a high-volume, comprehensive transplant center, Tampa General is also a premier destination for multi-organ transplant procedures.

Historically, Tampa General has some of the most efficient transplant wait times in the country and in Florida, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. Along with ensuring that patients receive proper care, Tampa General was the first hospital in Florida to use Organ Care System (OCS™) technology. This organ perfusion technology allows donor organs to function outside the body in a machine that provides the organs with a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients. This cutting-edge approach not only preserves organs for longer periods but also enables medical teams to assess and improve organ function. In many cases, perfusion technology also allows Tampa General to rehabilitate organs that otherwise would not have been viable for transplantation. By leveraging this innovation, the hospital can expand access to a wider geographical area to retrieve more lifesaving organs and take on some of the most complex cases. In 2025, 72% of organs transplanted by Tampa General used perfusion or advanced preservation methods. As a result, Tampa General has enhanced transplant outcomes, making it possible to save more lives.

“Perfusion has enabled us to innovate throughout all our solid organ programs. We’re now recognized as international thought leaders in liver normothermic machine perfusion,” said Dr. Kiran Dhanireddy, vice president and chief of the TGH Transplant Institute and surgical director of comprehensive liver disease. “This technology allows us to bring lifesaving liver transplants to patients who otherwise would suffer from their disease while waiting for an available organ.”

TGH Transplant Institute 2025 statistics

• TGH Transplant Institute is currently the No. 5 transplant center in the nation by volume*
• Ranked No. 2 kidney transplant program in the nation, with 519 kidney transplants
• Ranked No. 4 liver transplant program in the nation, with 284 liver transplants
• Ranked No. 32 for heart transplants and No. 37 for lung transplants
• Living Donor Transplants: 123 kidneys; 12 livers
• In 2025, Tampa General performed more than 895 transplants, breaking its records in both liver and kidney transplants. More transplants equal more lives saved.

Access to complex care on Florida’s East Coast

Since 2020, Tampa General has partnered with physician-led practices to connect patients with health care in the Palm Beaches and on the Treasure Coast, including research, complex therapies and procedures, clinical trials, and advanced immunotherapy. If patients need complex, specialized surgery in Tampa, such as a transplant, these practices will support patients’ presurgical and postsurgical care. A nurse navigator with specialized expertise works directly with patients to coordinate all aspects of their care.

Currently, Tampa General’s East Coast practices include approximately 21 clinics with more than 90 providers in 13 specialties.

For more information about the TGH Transplant Institute, visit TGH.org/Institutes-and-Services/Transplant-Institute.

 *Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network