Orlando Transplant Program Resumes After 2-Month Hiatus

The TransLife kidney transplant program at Florida Hospital in Orlando -- which was suspended July 1 when local doctors resigned because of the soaring cost of medical malpractice insurance -- announced it is resuming services following the hiring of an out-of-state transplant surgeon.

Dr. Michael Angelis, formerly director of pancreas transplantation at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston, was recruited to TransLife -- which had been one of the busier kidney transplant programs in the country -- in the newly created position of medical director of surgical transplantation services.

With his addition, it is possible that organ transplants other than kidneys may also be performed in Orlando, a spokesperson said. Angelis is trained in liver as well as kidney and pancreas transplantation, and completed a fellowship in multi-organ transplantation at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Florida Hospital's kidney transplant program, which began in 1973, has performed more than 1,800 kidney transplants.

Other Sources: TransLife, Orlando Sentinel