„Last year’s first Transplant Today was kind of an introduction; we displayed the wide range of solid organ transplantation at Semmelweis University, and offered a comprehensive overview of where transplantation medicine is today, in terms of heart, lung, pancreas, liver or kidney,” recalled Dr. Attila Szijártó, Director of the Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology. “This year’s second international symposium is aimed at a slightly narrower professional audience, as the presentations will focus on new opportunities in transplantation. These include, for example, the transplantation of children, or the issue of AB0 incompatible transplantation, which is about to be launched in Hungary and is a very exciting new indication in the field,” he explained, adding that all professionals working in the field of transplantation and medical candidates interested in the topic are welcome to attend this year’s event. Students of Semmelweis University can receive credits for their participation.
„The invited speakers are once again among the most renowned international experts in the field of transplantation,” emphasized Dr. Attila Szijártó. Dr. Umberto Cillo, Head of the Transplant Centre at the University of Padua, for example, is a well-known name in liver transplantation, while Dr. Andreas Zuckermann, who will give a presentation on heart transplantation, is Director of the Cardiovascular Centre in Vienna.
The Director of the Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology stressed that transplantation activity in Hungary has been slowly approaching the pre-coronavirus epidemic levels.
Donor offers are increasing, and last year saw an upward trend in transplants for all organs. We performed 40 live donor kidney transplants at the university last year, which is an excellent result.
– he explained. In addition to that, 94 cadaver kidney transplants, 67 liver transplants and 2 pancreas transplants were performed in 2022. According to the National Blood Service, a total of 190 kidney, 67 liver, 40 heart and 12 lung transplants were performed in Hungary last year, making Semmelweis a leader in living donor transplantation. The university is also a pioneer in AB0 incompatibility transplantation and will soon launch a living donor liver transplant program, for which it has already started to develop pediatric liver transplants, Dr. Attila Szijártó added.
This year’s Transplant Today on 24 March will take place at the Semmelweis Salon, but the presentations will also be available online. The full program of the event is available here.
Ádám Szabó
Translation: Viktória Kiss
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University (illustration)
