Liver Transplant Program at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital Recognized as Best in the Nation

PRESS RE:EASE

March 14, 2012, 6:37 p.m. EDT

SAN ANTONIO, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Success at Texas Hospital Offers Hope for Millions Affected by Liver-Destroying Hepatitis C

Liver transplant surgeons at a San Antonio hospital are poised to save hundreds of lives as deaths from liver-destroying hepatitis C increase, with recent reports indicating baby boomers are highest risk.

The Liver Transplant Program at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital (MSTH), a campus of Methodist Hospital, has been recognized as the best liver transplant program in the country, based on data recently released by the Scientific Registry for Transplant Patients.

The MSTH program has the best one-year patient survival rate in the United States among patients with the most seriously advanced liver disease, according to data from the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN)/SRTS Annual Data Report. The ranking is based on comparisons of programs performing 10 or more transplants annually.

"Key to becoming the top program in the country is having a hospital and staff devoted to abdominal transplant surgeries with both outpatient and inpatient services," said Preston Foster, M.D., FACS, Surgical Director, Liver Disease and Transplant Program, Texas Transplant Institute, a department of Methodist Hospital. "Our highly experienced and devoted team of physician specialists, nurses and care coordinators consider each patient's individual needs. We provide a continuum of care from diagnosis of liver disease, evaluation for transplant, transplant surgery and recovery, including continued monitoring in our outpatient clinic."

Philip Ostrander, 54, benefited from the outstanding program in San Antonio, surviving more than eight years with his new liver. Ostrander developed liver disease as the result of hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver. Just before Thanksgiving in 2003, his condition began to deteriorate. "By January 8, one of the doctors advised my wife to make funeral arrangements," said Ostrander. "Luckily, Dr. Foster said to wait. I was placed on the liver transplant wait list and on January 23 I had my transplant. My transplant gave me a whole new lease on life," Ostrander said.

The MSTH Liver Transplant Program began in 2001 and has performed 290 transplants since that time. Liver transplant procedures can be especially complex because many patients are at life-threatening stages of liver disease and prone to complications. The San Antonio team has implemented several techniques that have resulted in more successful outcomes:

Preservation techniques used during transplantation of the donor liver

Revascularization techniques of the donor liver

Venous bypass machine used to prevent low-blood pressure and low-body temperature during the transplant

Techniques to reduce the number of immunosuppressive drugs post transplant

Multi-disciplinary care of patients throughout transplant process

Aggressive treatment to protect donor liver from hepatitis C

According to the CDC, an estimated 3.2 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C, the leading cause of liver transplants. To read more about the nation's leading liver transplant program and view additional patient profiles, visit bit.ly/y5fLx2.

SOURCE Methodist Healthcare

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