Retired physician Charlie White lay in a hospital bed at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. From his room, he could see the helipad. Although very ill — he estimates weeks to months from death — he was keenly alert to each landing.
“Helicopters were coming in, and patients would come out on stretchers,” he recalls. “And then one landed, and a doctor came out. Holding a box.”
In that box was the liver that would save Dr. White’s life. Read the article from Geisinger.
Around 100 people considered becoming donors for 10 kids on the waitlist
By Colette Bordelon
DENVER — In September, Children’s Hospital Colorado asked healthy adults to consider donating part of their liver. An estimated 100 people responded, meaning the 10 children on the transplant waitlist will likely receive the life-saving gift. Read more from Denver 7 News.
By Monica Stonehill
BOSTON — Researchers reported similar patient and allograft survival 1 year after liver transplantation between COVID-19 positive and negative donors, showing potential for expanding organ access, according to data at The Liver Meeting.
“During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the volume of liver transplants decreased worldwide,” Roy X. Wang, MD, of Penn Medicine, said in a related Q&A with AASLD.
Read the full story in Healio.
Who am I now if I’m no longer a nurse, active mom, or needy CF patient?
By Jennifer Bleecher
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines identity as “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual.” Having a genetic, progressive, and life-shortening disease such as cystic fibrosis (CF) can consume a large part of a person’s physical, mental, and emotional state. It can feel that the disease becomes your identity.
CF was a fatal disease in 1971, when I was born. The average life expectancy at the time was 12. My symptoms were mild when I was young, so my mom decided not to share that prognosis with me. Back then, pancreatic enzymes and antibiotics were the only medications available to treat CF. The internet wasn’t born yet, so I had limited access to information about my disease. Read the article in Cystic Fibrosis News Today.
By Mike Bassett
BOSTON — Prioritizing emergency liver transplantation for patients with severe acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) resulted in relatively good survival outcomes, according to a U.K. study presented here.
Among 39 critically ill patients who were able to undergo emergency transplant, survival reached 85% at a median follow-up of 171 days, with a 1-year survival rate of 78%, reported William Bernal, MD, of King’s College Hospital in London. Read the full article in MedPage Today.
By Robert Stott
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Pain was reported in nearly 80% of patients with cirrhosis evaluated for liver transplant and, when paired with anxiety and depression, was a significant driver for poor quality of life, noted a presenter here.
“In my clinical work, I have always found it challenging to manage pain in patients with cirrhosis,” Jessica B. Rubin, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at University of California, San Francisco, told Healio.
Read the full story in Healio.
By Tahleel Mohieldin
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (WTMJ) — Before the hugs and congratulations at the finish line, John Allison had a clear mission at the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon Sunday.
Allison’s goal was to help raise awareness for veteran suicide and after finding an outlet for his own mental health struggles he wanted to encourage others to not give up. Read more in WQOW News 18.
By Veronica Giarla
Reagan, 18, is gearing up for her freshman year of college this fall, and she has a solid idea about her future career. “I hope to become a transplant nurse or a child life specialist,” she shares with a smile. Her inspiration to enter this field of medicine comes from her experiences with the care team that she and her family met while at Boston Children’s Hospital when she was only an infant. Read more from Boston Children’s Hospital.
Transplant centers are reporting a rise in patients in need of new livers.
By Mary Kekatos
Excessive drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to skyrocketing rates of alcohol-associated liver disease to the point of needing transplants, according to doctors.
Transplant centers across the United States are reporting more patients in need of a new liver than ever before, sometimes seeing double the number of patients needing transplants compared to pre-pandemic levels. Read the full story in ABC News.
By Tahleel Mohieldin
MILWAUKEE – Before the hugs and congratulations at the finish line, John Allision had a clear mission at the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon Sunday.
Allison’s goal was to help raise awareness for veteran suicide and after finding an outlet for his own mental health struggles he wanted to encourage others to not give up. Check out the full story in WTMJ-4 Milwaukee News.