The Rogosin Institute

Milestones

Rogosin Institute's Transplantation Center in cooperation with NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell has a long history of innovation dating to 1963 when the first living related kidney transplant in the metropolitan New York area was performed.

Rogosin's Transplantation Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell was responsible for the first deceased donor kidney transplant in the state of New York in 1965.

The 1000th kidney transplant was performed in 1984, with the 2000th procedure conducted in 1999. The milestone 3000th kidney transplant was performed in 2007.

Medical Advances

Rogosin is a pioneer in the implementation of technologies that are making kidney transplantation more accessible and more successful.

Our patients routinely undergo a kidney transplant without experiencing the side effects of chronic steroid use.  The corticosteroid, prednisone, thymoglobulin and other drugs are used for the first four days post-surgery to prevent rejection of the new kidney. By the time patients leave the hospital, they are taking only two medications to suppress their immune system, tacrolimus (Prograf) and mycophenolate mofetil (Cellcept).  The acute rejection rate in our steroid-free era is approximately six percent.  Steroid-free chronic immunosuppression results in less post-transplant weight gain, lower cholesterol levels, a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a lower incidence of glucose intolerance (post transplant diabetes). 



Our paired exchange program allows our patients with incompatible live donors to “swap” kidneys with another pair of people who are compatible with each other.

Our program for highly-sensitized, prospective transplant recipients (those with high antibody levels in their blood) provides transplant opportunities for those patients who previously had difficulty obtaining a successful transplant.   After an evaluation to determine their degree of sensitization, these individuals can be treated with medicines that deplete antibody producing white blood cells and receive additional therapies to deplete those antibodies that attack a transplanted organ.  Each patient receives a regimen tailored to their unique status and upon completion, and re-evaluation, can often receive a successful transplant.

Advances in transplantation technology have created opportunities for older patients to be transplanted. Additionally, patients who are HIV-positive, hepatitis B-positive, or hepatitis C-positive may also be considered for a kidney transplant.