Mayo Clinic doctor completes his 1,000th liver transplant
(THE MED CITY BEAT) - A Mayo Clinic surgeon was honored on Thursday for completing his 1,000th liver transplant.
Dr. Chuck Rosen walked in on a surprise party that included co-workers, friends, his wife Sharon and Mayo Clinic CEO Dr. John Noseworthy.
Dr. Rosen completed the milestone surgery on Monday, nearly 23 years after his first solo transplant. According to Mayo, he is responsible for 0.7 percent of the 133,000 liver transplants in the U.S. since 1988.
He said none of it, though, would have been possible without the help of his talented colleagues at the clinic.
“We've got a highly-trained team and it's just kind of a coordinated symphony when we're in the operating room," said Dr. Rosen, according to KTTC-TV. "And you know, you always need four hands to do an operation."
More than 120,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant in the United States. The Mayo Clinic alone has over 3,000 patients a waiting list.
@MayoClinic surgeon completes 1,000 liver transplants: http://t.co/W3qiGwyXnq pic.twitter.com/gFZH2TOLNq
— Mary McGuire (@mcguirereports) May 1, 2015
Dr. Rosen said he hopes his achievement will raise awareness about the need for more organ donors.
“It’s difficult to know and to really understand," said Dr. Rosen, according to KIMT-TV. "But about 15-20 percent of the people I’ll see for a transplant evaluation will not get one, and they don’t get one because of the organ availability."
It's unclear how many doctors have reached the milestone. The United Network for Organ Sharing doesn't keep track of individual doctor statistics. However, the Post-Bulletin notes Rosen is likely on a "short list" of surgeons.
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(Cover photo: File / Tripp / Creative Commons)
