News Releases

Grand Rapids, Mich., Oct. 9, 2024 – Lung transplant survival rates at Corewell Health^TM in West Michigan are again among the best in the nation, according to the latest data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).

The SRTR supports the Department of Health and Human Services and its agents in their oversight of the national organ transplantation system. The twice yearly SRTR outcomes report is available publicly on the www.srtr.org website.

 The lung transplant program, part of the Corewell Health Richard DeVos Heart & Lung Transplant Program, has consistently performed in the top five programs in the country in terms of one-year patient survival. In the most recent report:

• The program had the best one-year lung transplant graft survival in the country.
• The program tied with one other for the best one-year patient survival rate in the country.
• The program’s three-year patient and graft survival are likewise outstanding and are within the top five in the country.

“These outcomes are a result of the expertise, care and commitment of the entire multi-disciplinary team of physicians, APPs, nurses, social workers, financial counselors, dietitians, pharmacists, respiratory techs, clerical team members and so many others,” Adam Mix, director, cardiothoracic surgery and solid organ transplant programs at Corewell Health in West Michigan, said. “We recognize that these outcomes represent real people given a second chance at life, and that this is all made possible only through the ultimate gift of a donated organ.”

Corewell Health’s Richard DeVos Heart & Lung Transplant Program, founded in 2010, completed its first heart transplant in November 2010, and its first lung transplant in February 2013. Since 2013, the program has completed nearly 400 lung transplants, becoming a leader in the state, and presently accounting for more than 50% of Michigan’s lung transplant volume.

Mix lists the following additional factors in the program’s success:

• Medical, surgical and administrative leadership: Provides consistency and strategic growth opportunities.
• Comprehensive focus on quality improvement: All phases of the transplant process focused on improving outcomes for our patients.
• Consistent advancements in research and development: Especially involvement in leading clinical trials.

Edward Murphy, M.D., the Richard DeVos Endowed Chair for Lung Transplantation at Corewell Health, credits the collaborative work of the transplant team for the outstanding and consistent results during a period of significant growth of the program.

“Corewell Health’s lung transplant program outcomes are especially noteworthy because we treat a very wide range of candidates,” Dr. Murphy said. “We often accept candidates that other centers turn away including older patients and those with other medical conditions that increase risk, such as coronary artery disease, previous chest surgery or the need for pre-operative advanced life support.”