Northwell Opens New Surgical Transplant ICU On Long Island

Northwell Health recently announced the opening of a new Surgical and Transplant Intensive Care Unit at North Shore University Hospital—a step toward launching Long Island's first liver transplant program.

The new $26-million unit is nearly double the size of the former 13,000-square-foot unit, and the hospital called it a "key component" to opening a liver transplant program.

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“The state-of-the-art Surgical Transplant ICU at North Shore is second to none and will allow us to offer outstanding and innovative care for our transplant patients,” said Dr. Lewis Teperman, director of transplant services at Northwell Health. “It was built with Northwell’s ground-breaking EICU technology. This allows the surgeon to always be in touch with the patients and care team 24-7 in real time.”

The upgrade is part of a multi-year modernization project at NSUH.

According to Northwell, "There are currently about 1,200 people awaiting liver transplant in New York State, about half of whom live in Northwell’s catchment area that includes Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. NSUH's Sandra Atlas Bass Center for Liver Diseases treated more than 6,400 outpatients in 2018."

The United Network for Organ Sharing has approved Northwell's application, but the program is pending approval from the state Department of Health.

“In addition to supporting Transplant and other surgical programs, the new SICU will have a vital role in supporting North Shore’s Level One Trauma Center, which is the largest trauma center in the New York City area by patient volume,” said Dr. Matthew Bank, trauma medical director of Northwell Health’s Trauma Institute. “North Shore’s Trauma Center admits over 2,300 patients per year, 700 of which are transfers from other hospitals. We handle some of the most critically injured patients in the region, and now will have a state-of-the-art SICU to complement our trauma center.”

Northwell said the ICU will aid the growth of the hospital's surgical programs, focusing on kidney and liver transplants, colorectal surgery, pancreatic islet cell surgery and bariatric procedures.

It features 18 private rooms and two family waiting rooms, according to Northwell.