In Texas, a disproportionate number of people have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and NASH cirrhosis. Combine these conditions with alcohol misuse, and you have a state with the highest rate of liver cancer in the nation.
Three new organ preservation systems allow transplant surgeons to travel farther distances to procure donor livers and provide the ability to better assess potential donor livers that may have borderline function. Through the use of these new preservation systems, Baylor Scott & White Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute has greatly expanded its options for accepting donor livers, especially extended criteria livers that may not have been accepted in the past.
Living liver donors report an immense emotional and spiritual benefit from knowing they are saving the life of a loved one. However, it is impossible to overlook the surgical trauma, cosmetic scars and surgical risks to which otherwise healthy donors are exposed with this major operation. To mitigate the potential harm to donors, Baylor Scott & White Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute has begun performing robotic living donor hepatectomies, one of only two programs in the United States to do so. The transplant team recently performed its 21st robotic living donor hepatectomy.
The burden of liver disease is increasing in Dallas/Fort Worth and throughout the nation. In addition to alcohol abuse or misuse, there has been an alarming increase in the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a leading cause of cirrhosis.
The extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth celebrated survivorship with joy, hope and fellowship at the ECMO Reunion on January 6. The event brought together ECMO patients and families from all over Texas to reunite with the physicians and staff members who made recovery possible.
ECMO technology provides advanced support for critically ill heart and lung patients, allowing time to recover or as a short-term bridge to transplant. Baylor Scott & White – Fort Worth is one of only three locations within the Baylor Scott & White system that offers ECMO capabilities. Since the ECMO program began at the hospital, over 200 patients have received this life-changing support.
