|
Organ transplant
Patient Information
|
UK Hospital Announces First Pediatric Liver Transplant
By Vikki Franklin
May 19, 1998
LEXINGTON, KY – The University of Kentucky Hospital has announced its first pediatric liver transplant.
The 11–hour surgery was performed Monday (May 18) on a 13-year-old Eastern Kentucky girl with alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD). The patient was listed with the United Network for Organ Sharing on Nov. 12, 1997.
Thomas Johnston, M.D., chief of pediatric liver transplantation, and Dinesh Ranjan, M.D., director of UK’s liver and pancreas transplant program, led the surgical team, which also consisted of an anesthesiologist, three nurses and/or operating room technicians, and a perfusionist. The surgery began around 6 a.m. on Monday, May 18, and ended at 5 p.m. on Monday. The transplanted organ immediately began to function on the operating room table.
As is the case with all transplant patients immediately following surgery, the patient is listed in critical condition and is resting in the hospital’s surgical intensive care unit. She will remain there for several days before being moved to a regular hospital room.
A1AD is a hereditary defect in body chemistry that fewer than 100,000 Americans have. Alpha1-antitrypsin, also called alpha1 proteinase inhibitor, is a protein that circulates in the blood. The liver produces most of the alpha1-antitrypsin in the blood. It protects the tissues of the body from being damaged by chemicals contained in white blood cells.
White blood cells contain enzymes, or proteinases, that help them move through tissues, clean up wounds, and perform other important functions. The activities of these chemicals must be strictly controlled to keep them from attacking normal tissues in the body. Alpha1-antitrypsin normally provides one type of protection against the chemicals.
A1AD, the most common genetic cause of liver disease in children, occurs when the amount of alpha1-antitrypsin in the blood is very low. That causes lung problems because of the lack of alpha1-antitrypsin means the tiny air sacs in the lungs aren’t protected from the chemicals released by white blood cells. It also causes liver problems because alpha1-antitrypsin is made in the liver, but such problems typically are mild. Little is known about why some people with A1AD become ill, while others remain healthy.
Note: In 1969, an unsuccessful experimental, heterotopic liver transplant, meaning the liver was "piggybacked" to another liver, was performed at the UK Hospital. The May 18, 1998, transplant was orthotopic, meaning the patient’s liver was removed and replaced with a donor liver.
|
Academics | Service | Research | UK HealthCare | UK A-Z 
