According to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipiants, there are 141 medical centers and hospitals in the United States that offer organ transplants. Many will have different criteria and requirements that must be satisfied before a patient is accepted into their programs. Your gastroenterologist is the first person you should discuss the transplant topic with; he is familiar with one or more of these centers and usually has a relationship with the physicians who perform the surgery.
It is also important to know that the MELD score thresholds in these centers will vary widely in different parts of the country. That variance is usually a result of the amount of donor organs that are available to the center in question; the centers in Florida and Georgia can work with a relatively low score, such as 21-23, while the Texas centers have a higher MELD threshold –usually 28-35. The MELD number of the patient dictates how quickly the patient will be considered for transplant. A patient can be very ill, but if their MELD score calculation is low, such as 22-24, and you are attempting to work with a center that cannot offer surgery unless the score is 33-35, the likelihood of receiving that life saving operation is very slim.
Discuss this with the physician that you know and trust. Your best option may be to find a transplant center that can work with you immediately and perform the surgery before the patient deteriorates to a point that he or she is too ill to survive the operation and therefore is no longer a candidate for the only thing that could have saved their life. The starting points for your research are your doctor, the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, and UNOS (United Network For Organ Sharing).
The following list is an abbreviated sample of transplant centers in the southwest and southeast; a complete list of transplant facilities can be accessed through the Scientific Registry. You will need to contact the transplant centers individually in order to obtain the MELD score range that applies to their facility.
Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients
914 South 8th St.
Suite S-4. 100
Minneapollis, MN 55404
877-970-SRTR
www.SRTR.org
UNOS
P.O. Box 2484
Richmond, VA 23218
Headquarters 804-782-4800
Information Line 888-894-6361
www.unos.org
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville FL
Gary & Dianna McCalla Transplant Center
4500 San Pablo Rd
Jacksonville FL 32224
904-953-2000
904-953-0853
MELD Score Average is 23
Shands Transplant Center—University of Florida
1600 Archer Rd.
Gainesville FL 32608
352-265-0139
Fax 352-733-4179
MELD range 28-30 Blood Type O and A, 25 Type B
Emory Transplant Center
1365 Clifton Rd NE
Bldg B, 6th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30322
404- 778-7777
Toll Free 1-855-366-7989
MELD range is low 20′s
Piedmont Hospital
1968 Peachtree Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-605-5000
Fax-678-244-6608
MELD range is low 20′s
Baylor St. Lukes (Cooley Transplant Center)
6720 Bertner Ave.
Houston, TX 77030
832-355-6461
832-355-4100 Appointments
MELD Range is 33-35 for Blood Type “O” Positive
Houston Methodist Hospital (JC Walter Jr. Transplant Center)
6565 Fanin St
Houston, TX 77030
832-391-8693
Information Line 713-441-5451
MELD range is low 30′s
Memorial Hermann Hospital
6411 Fanin St.
Houston, TX 77030
713-704-4000
MELD range is low 30′s
Baylor Medical Center
Annette C. & Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute
3410 Worth St.
Dallas, TX 75246
214-820-2050
MELD Range 28-29
University Transplant Center
4502 Medical Dive
Horizon Tower –8th Floor
San Antonio, TX 78229
214-358-4500
888-336-9633
MELD range low 30′s