UNMC liver transplant program not resting on its laurels
Omaha.com | Rick Ruggles
The University of Nebraska Medical Center carved out a reputation for excellence 25 years ago through its pioneering liver transplant program.
Now the challenge of UNMC and many transplant hospitals is how to carve a niche in a field that has become cluttered with competitors.
About 240 U.S. hospitals have performed organ transplants this year while the number of available livers, kidneys, hearts and other organs has remained almost static over the past six years.
The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC's hospital partner, continues to perform large numbers of kidney and liver transplants and is a national leader in transplanting intestines.
But administrators are looking at other specialties to save more lives and maintain their program's status.
The medical center intends next year to get back into lung transplants. Administrators also are considering creating a “national pediatric transplant center,†although no specific plans have been disclosed.
When Jennifer and Aaron Crook of the Union, Neb., area considered where to take their infant daughter, Maddy, for an intestinal transplant six years ago, medical professionals recommended hospitals in three cities: Pittsburgh, Miami and Omaha. Their proximity to Omaha made the choice obvious.
Maddy had a genetic disorder that affected her intestines, bladder and digestive system in general. Early on, it was clear she would need a transplant. She underwent two surgeries in her first two months of life and went on the waiting list for transplantation.
Read more
{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}
The University of Nebraska Medical Center carved out a reputation for excellence 25 years ago through its pioneering liver transplant program.
Now the challenge of UNMC and many transplant hospitals is how to carve a niche in a field that has become cluttered with competitors.
About 240 U.S. hospitals have performed organ transplants this year while the number of available livers, kidneys, hearts and other organs has remained almost static over the past six years.
The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC's hospital partner, continues to perform large numbers of kidney and liver transplants and is a national leader in transplanting intestines.
But administrators are looking at other specialties to save more lives and maintain their program's status.
The medical center intends next year to get back into lung transplants. Administrators also are considering creating a “national pediatric transplant center,†although no specific plans have been disclosed.
When Jennifer and Aaron Crook of the Union, Neb., area considered where to take their infant daughter, Maddy, for an intestinal transplant six years ago, medical professionals recommended hospitals in three cities: Pittsburgh, Miami and Omaha. Their proximity to Omaha made the choice obvious.
Maddy had a genetic disorder that affected her intestines, bladder and digestive system in general. Early on, it was clear she would need a transplant. She underwent two surgeries in her first two months of life and went on the waiting list for transplantation.
Read more
{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}
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