UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital has reached a milestone in transplant care, completing more than 10,000 organ transplants since its first procedure in 1962. The hospital marked several significant achievements in 2025, including its 1,000th lung transplant, 1,000th heart transplant, 5,000th kidney transplant and 3,000th liver transplant.
Transplant surgery at UCHealth has changed significantly over the past six decades. Early procedures were considered experimental and carried high risks. Patients often faced long hospital stays during recovery. “When we were performing transplants in the 80s, the procedures were far more invasive and every transplant carried uncertainty,” said Dr. Igal Kam, who served as chief of transplant surgery at UCHealth from 1988 to 2016.
The experiences of early living donors highlight how much the process has evolved. Patty Newman Coy Byrn donated a kidney to her brother in 1966 at age 22. She recalled: “They cut me from the middle of my stomach to the middle of my back, and they took a rib out to get the kidney out so it wasn’t damaged.” Now age 82 and living near Kirksville, Missouri, she notes that today’s surgeries are less invasive.
Recent advancements include robotic-assisted surgeries that allow for smaller incisions and faster recoveries for both recipients and donors. Sam Carter donated a kidney to her sister using this technique in December 2025. “I spent only one night in the hospital after my surgery, and when you think about it — although you’re doing something really big, the surgery itself is somewhat small. The incisions are small and recovery is fast,” Carter said.
UCHealth began its robotic-assisted transplant program with kidney donors in 2020; by 2021 it expanded to recipients and later included liver transplants as well. Surgeons use robotic arms controlled remotely to make precise movements through small incisions while viewing detailed images inside the body.
“Today, UCHealth performs robotic-assisted kidney transplants, multi-organ surgeries, and complex living donor procedures—all with dramatically shorter recovery times and higher survival rates,” said Dr. Trevor Nydam, current chief of transplant surgery at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. “Decades of innovation have really changed the game for transplant surgery.”
Living donation has become an increasingly viable option due to these advances in surgical techniques and recovery times; UCHealth now operates one of the largest living donor programs nationally.
“Making living donation more accessible has the power to change the trajectory for patients who might otherwise wait too long,” Dr. Nydam said. “By continuing to innovate and make donation safer and less disruptive to donors’ lives, we hope more people will consider this extraordinary act of generosity.”
Organ perfusion technology represents another major development for deceased donations by preserving organs outside of the body before transplantation—helping clinicians assess organ health prior to surgery.
According to national data from Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), over 120,000 people across America await lifesaving organ transplants each year.
UCHealth remains unique within its region as it is currently the only center performing all types of solid organ transplants—including heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas—in addition to maintaining comprehensive services for patients considering becoming living donors.
