Mater Hospital celebrates 20 years since first lung transplant

The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) is today celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ireland’s first ever lung transplant.

In the two decades since the life saving surgery was introduced, 379 lung transplants have been performed  at the Mater Hospital’s National Centre for Heart and Lung Transplants.  The transplant programme is only possible through the generosity of organ donors and the expertise and commitment of clinical teams.

Thomas McGrane received his lung transplant 19 years ago. The father of 3 lives in Blanchardstown and enjoys a full and active life. “Before my transplant I could barely breathe, walk or even shave,” said Thomas, who received one of Ireland’s first lung transplants at the Mater Hospital. “I got to see my children grow up and now I can spend time with my grandkids, something that I don’t think would have been possible without the transplant.”

Before 2005, patients in Ireland who needed a lung transplant had to travel to Newcastle in the UK for treatment.  Such a journey was too onerous for some of the very ill patients awaiting transplant. Driven by the needs of patients and medical ambition, the Mater’s transplant team, led by surgeon Professor Freddie Wood, undertook the first lung transplant on Irish soil.

“There was a sense of both urgency and possibility,” said Professor Wood. “We knew that bringing lung transplantation to Ireland would change lives and it has. That first procedure 20 years ago was the cornerstone on which a nationally trusted programme was built here at the Mater and a network of healthcare providers interested in transplant continues to be developed and consolidated.”

Since then, the Mater’s lung transplant programme has grown from strength to strength with a total of 379 lung transplants taking place in the hospital, with a further 77 patients who received transplants outside of Ireland receiving follow up care at the Mater Hospital.. With a dedicated team of surgeons, clinicians, nurses, and support staff, the hospital serves as Ireland’s national lung transplant centre. It has helped extend and improve the quality of life for those suffering from lung failure, many of whom have gone on to raise families, return to work, and even represent Ireland in the Transplant Games.

As part of the programme’s 20th anniversary, the hospital is encouraging the public to consider the life-saving impact of organ donation.

“Debilitating breathlessness affects thousands of people of all ages,” said Prof. Karen Redmond, Consultant Thoracic and Lung Transplant surgeon at the Mater. “It is horrible to recognise that some are actively dying. Organ donation is their only hope. Delivering a lung transplant takes resources, skill, dedication and most of all sacrifice. The national transplant unit at the Mater is proud to celebrate 20 years of care today.  This operation is truly life changing.”

The development of the National Lung Transplant Centre at the Mater Hospital over the past 20 years is the result of collaboration between hospital leadership, clinicians, advocates, representative bodies and courageous patients and donors.

Mater Hospital CEO Josephine Ryan Leacy said, “This anniversary is a moment to reflect on the extraordinary impact of lung transplantation in Ireland. What began as a bold step 20 years ago has become a world-class national centre, made possible by clinical excellence, compassion, and above all, the generosity of organ donors and their families. We are deeply proud of the legacy built here at the Mater and remain committed to advancing lung transplant care into the future.”