Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Designated Live Donor Liver Transplant Center by UNOS
Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital has been designated a Live Donor Liver
Transplant Center by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the
organization that administers the nation’s policies on organ
transplantation and procurement. The designation makes Jefferson’s one
of only three adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT)
programs in the Delaware Valley.
Cataldo
Doria, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, director of the Division of Transplantation
at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH), and associate professor
of Surgery, Jefferson Medical College (JMC) of Thomas Jefferson
University, will lead Jefferson’s LDLT team as primary surgeon. The
UNOS-approved team will also comprise Stephen P. Dunn, M.D., division
chief of General Surgery and Solid Organ Transplant Surgery at A.I.
duPont Hospital for Children, and professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
at JMC; Carlo Ramirez, M.D., transplant specialist at TJUH, and
assistant professor of Surgery at JMC; and Adam Frank, M.D., transplant
specialist at TJUH, and assistant professor of Surgery at JMC.
“We
are extremely pleased to be able to offer living donor transplantation
as another leading-edge, potentially life-saving treatment to our liver
patients here at Jefferson,” said Dr. Doria. “LDLT does not replace
traditional deceased donor transplantation, but it will allow us to
transplant more patients from the UNOS waiting list.”
At
this very moment, there are approximately 17,000 people on the UNOS
liver transplant waiting list, and the numbers are steadily increasing
due primarily to cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, which is most
commonly cause by Hepatitis C. Advancements in surgical techniques,
immunosuppressant drugs, and protocols have also made more patients
candidates for liver transplantation than ever before. However, only
about one-third of these patients will receive deceased donor organs.
“Adult-to-adult living donor transplantation provides another, extraordinary option to these patients with end-stage liver
disease,” added Dr. Doria.
LDLT
is a procedure in which a healthy, living person donates a portion of
his or her liver to another individual with end-stage liver failure.
Up to 70 percent of the donor’s liver may be safely removed and
transplanted into the recipient, immediately after the recipient’s
diseased liver has been entirely extracted. After separation and
transplantation, the two portions of the liver regenerate to nearly
normal size for both the donor and the recipient. (The liver is the
only organ in the body capable of fully regenerating itself.)
Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital has a tradition of outstanding success in
the treatment of patients with all forms of acute and chronic liver
disease. Initiated in 1984, Jefferson’s is the longest continuously
active Liver Transplantation program in the Philadelphia area and the
hospital performed the first liver transplant in the Delaware Valley
nearly 25 years ago. Today, Jefferson’s team offers patients a
comprehensive approach by combining a range of dedicated specialists
who help each individual with their medical, psychological, and
financial needs—step-by-step, from initial evaluation, through surgery
and recuperation.
For
more information on Liver Disease and Transplantation at Jefferson or
to make an appointment with a specialist, call 1-800-JEFF-NOW or visit www.JeffersonHospital.org/transplant.
Media Only Contact:
Ed Federico
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 4/23/2008