Dr. Alan Hemming discussing how the patient’s liver was removed from the body, cooled, treated and returned tumor free.
Radical Surgery Saves Life of Young Mom, California First
Liver Removed, Reconstructed, Re-Implanted
A team led by Alan Hemming, MD, transplant surgeon at UC San Diego Health System, has successfully performed the west coast’s first ex-vivo liver resection, a radical procedure to completely remove and reconstruct a diseased liver and re-implant it without any tumors. The procedure saved the life of a 27-year old mother whose liver had been invaded by a painful tumor that crushed the organ and entangled its blood supply.
“During a 9-hour surgery the team was able to remove the basketball-sized tumor,” said Hemming, professor and surgical director of the Center for Hepatobiliary Disease and Abdominal Transplantation (CHAT) at UC San Diego Health System. “This is a surgery that carries a 15 to 20 percent risk of mortality. In this case, the patient would not have survived if she did not have surgery. This was the only way we could save her liver and her life.”
UC San Diego Center for Transplantation “VAD Destination Therapy” Approved
The Joint Commission has approved UC San Diego Health System’s Disease-Specific Care Certification for Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). Hospitals performing VAD as a “destination therapy” (for permanent use) receive a certification of distinction and receive reimbursement from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“The surveyors were extremely impressed with the level of integration and communication among all departments and at all levels as they interacted with staff at Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center and Thornton Hospital,” said Alexander Aussi, BSN, RN, MBA, director, UCSD Center for Transplantation. “This is another proud moment for us our VAD team as well as the Health System.”
Destination therapy provides permanent mechanical cardiac support for patients who have chronic end-stage heart failure. The cost of the VADs used for destination therapy is covered only if they have received approval from the FDA for that purpose.
