ISMETT: An International Collaboration on Organ Transplantation

The Institute of the Mediterranean for Transplantation and High Specialty Therapies (ISMETT) is a multi-organ transplant and high specialty center located in Palermo, Italy and managed by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Clinical transplant activity started in 1999 and, herein, we illustrate the outcomes achieved over the past 15 years. In total, ISMETT has performed 997 liver transplants (83.9% adults, 16.1% pediatrics) with a significant percentage of liver transplants from cadaver split livers (17%) and partial grafts from living donors (11.5%). Among liver transplant recipients, the overall five-year graft survival was 74.3% in the adult population and 79% in the pediatric population. ISMETT has also performed 419 kidney transplants in total: 211 from cadaveric donors (22 double), 176 from living donors, and 32 combined (19 with liver, 11 with pancreas, and 2 with heart). The 5-year renal graft survival was 82.2% (cadaveric donor) and 92.2% (living donor). More recently, in 2005, ISMETT started pancreas, lung, and heart transplant programs. In total, 16 pancreas transplants have been performed, of which 12 were simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants, 1 was pancreas after kidney, and 3 were pancreas alone transplants. One pancreatic islet transplant was also performed in a patient who had already undergone kidney transplantation. Patient and pancreas graft survivals at 1 year were 86.7% and 73.3%, respectively, and 80% and 73.3% at five years (pancreas survival is defined as normoglycemia and insulin-independence). Lung transplant has been performed in 133 patients (116 double and 17 single lung). Eleven were pediatric (8% of all transplants). The 1-month, 1-year, and 5-year overall graft survivals were, 93.8%, 81.4%, and 75.6%, respectively. Heart transplantation has been performed in 133 adults (85% were male). Coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy were the leading underlying heart disease diagnoses leading to transplant. Mechanical support (ventricular assist device or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) as a bridge to transplant was used in 18% of the heart transplant cases. One-year heart graft survival was 83% and 5-year heart graft survival was 81%.