Penn Medicine Performs Record Number Of Transplants In One Day
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Celebrating the gift of life on this Valentine's Day. Penn Medicine recently did a record number of transplants in one day. Those patients are all recovering with hearts full of gratitude.
Penn Medicine has a very busy transplant unit. But there was one 24-hour period on Jan. 28 that was like no other. Now two weeks later, the lucky patients have a lot to celebrate on this Valentine's Day.
Thirty-three-year-old Marco Ginefra is about to be a dad for the second time and he's recovering from a second liver transplant, marking Valentine's Day with hope and gratitude.
"It's a great thing. It's a real expression of love in today's world that people are willing to offer their organs and become an organ donor," Ginefra said.
Ginefra was among five patients to have liver transplants in one day at Penn -- remarkable considering donations are sporadic and finding the right match depends on a lot of luck.
"As far as I know, I think it was a record," Penn transplant surgeon Dr. Peter Apt said.
Apt says one liver was split between a Penn patient and a child next door at CHOP, so there were four livers for five patients all transplanted in 24 hours.
"There is always a time limitation with the transplant, but we were able to juggle it. It was really rewarding, it brought our teams together to work at their peak capacity," Apt said.
Robert Reifsneider was another of the lucky five to get a new liver on that fateful day. He'd been on the transplant list for two years.
"It's hard for us to wait for a liver, but then to realize someone had lost their life because to give me life, it was hard. I mean, that was our first thought, we've been constantly praying for the family," Reifsneider said.
Now two weeks later, Reifsneider and Ginefra are celebrating Valentine's Day with new gifts of life.
"Anytime you have the opportunity to offer someone and their family a chance of life, a chance of hope, and a better future, it is always a Valentine's Day," Apt said.
Penn normally does between five to 13 liver transplants in a month. They say it all depends on people becoming organ donors.