Liver transplants and a heart transplant marked firsts in late July and early August at three institutions.
In July, surgeons at Baylor University Medical Center and Children's Medical Center of Dallas performed the first split-liver transplant to be carried out in northern Texas. Recipients of the donated liver were a 10-month-old girl and a 49-year-old woman, both of whom were listed in fair condition a few days after their operations. "This technique of splitting livers may allow pediatric waiting lists to virtually disappear," said Goran Klintmalm, MD, PhD, chairman of the Baylor Institute of Transplantation Sciences. "Having the ability to possibly transplant every child that needs a new liver is revolutionary in the field of transplantation."
July also saw Sicily's first liver transplant, which was performed by a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) transplant team at the Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies. The patient, a 47-year-old man with acute liver disease, was in critical condition following the procedure. The newly formed institute is a joint venture of UPMC, the Italian government, and Civico Hospital and Cervella Hospital of Palermo, Italy (see Transplant News Network, July 1, 1999).
In early August, Providence Portland Medical Center performed its first heart transplant — on a 51-year-old truck driver. Until the medical center started its transplant program, the only institution performing heart transplants between Seattle and San Francisco was Oregon Health Sciences University, The Oregonian reported on August 3. The newspaper discusses competition between the two Oregon medical centers at www.oregonlive.com/news/99/08/st080303.html. Also see www.oregonlive.com/news/99/08/st080408.html.
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