Saint Luke’s performs first liver transplant since launch of service this year

Dec. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Charles Jones, 54, has a lot to be grateful for this holiday season.

Jones, who was diagnosed with hepatitis C, cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer, received a liver transplant at Saint Luke’s Hospital on Nov. 19. He’d struggled with debilitating fatigue since his diagnosis, and took medical leave from his job at the GM plant in January.

In August the Parkville, Mo., resident was put on the transplant list. He’s the first patient to undergo liver transplantation at Saint Luke’s since the hospital launched its program earlier this year.

After a 4.5-hour surgery, Jones spent just six days in the hospital. He’s a little sore, but feels like he’s been given a new lease on life. He’s slowly building his strength.

“Before the transplant, all I wanted to do was sleep all the time. I was confused - now my mind is clear. I feel a lot better than I did. Things are looking up. I’m getting my life back.”

Jones should be able to return to work in 6 months or so, according to his medical team. He doesn’t know who his liver donor is, but he’s grateful for the second chance. “I’m very appreciative to the donor family. They saved my life.”

About Saint Luke’s liver transplantation program
Saint Luke’s Hospital expanded its existing heart and kidney transplant programs with the addition of adult liver transplantation services in 2011.

To date, the program has performed two liver transplants. Jones waited 110 days for his transplant; the second patient was on the list for just 32 days. Wait list times are influenced by many variables but are predicated on how sick patients are and what other medical problems they have. “So far Saint Luke’s and Region 8’s wait times are among the shortest compared to our national peers,” said Dr. Henry Randall, transplant surgeon. United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) – the group that manages the nation’s organ transplant system under a federal government contract – organizes its services by regions across the country. Region 8 serves Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming. “This is one of the benefits to the patients in our area, besides the fact that people in this area are very generous when it comes to organ donation.”

A dedicated liver transplant team includes nationally prominent abdominal transplant surgeon Henry Randall, M.D., who joined Saint Luke’s from Baylor Regional Transplant Institute in Dallas. Dr. Randall serves as the liver program’s surgical director and is director of abdominal transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery. Transplant hepatologist Fredric Regenstein, M.D., formerly medical director of liver transplantation at Tulane University Hospital and Clinic in New Orleans, is the program’s medical director. Additional members of the transplant hepatology team include Laura Alba, M.D., associate medical director - liver transplantation, and gastroenterologist/hepatologist John Helzberg, M.D.

The team also includes surgeon Christie Gooden, M.D., who joined the program from the University of Michigan Health System and Lee S. Cummings, M.D., who came to Saint Luke’s from Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

A physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, transplant coordinators, a social worker, pharmacists, dietitian, chaplain, and transplant financial specialists provide additional care and support.

Quality service is based on a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. “All of the pieces are in place to provide an integrated system of patient care, one in which each patient’s unique circumstances and needs are understood, communicated and addressed across the entire spectrum of care,” said Dr. Randall.

The program collaborates with basic science and clinical research entities to provide patients the very latest in innovative techniques, procedures, and medicines.

Saint Luke’s has performed kidney transplants since 1969 and is the oldest and most experienced kidney transplant program in the region. The heart transplant program – the only adult one in the area - was initiated in 1985 and consistently ranks among the top 10 centers nationwide for outcomes and the number of adult transplants.

For more information about transplant services at Saint Luke’s Hospital, visit http://www.saintlukeshealthsystem.org.

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Saint Luke's Health System based in Kansas City, Mo., consists of 11 area hospitals in northwest Missouri and eastern Kansas, and several primary and specialty care practices. We provide a range of inpatient, outpatient, and home care services.