Dr. Halff is interested in ways to extend that period of time beyond the 24 hours. For those patients who receive donor organs, dramatically improved lifestyles are not always forthcoming. For other diseases, regardless of the kinds of replacement parts available, the surgeons cannot restore the lifestyle the patient enjoyed prior to the onset of the illness. Investigators also are working on methods to 'bridge' patients to transplant which include artificial livers and hearts. It's best obviously to do one transplant with a good organ and provide good immunosuppression, so that you maximize the benefits to the patient.
Artificial livers are still in the experimental stage.
So people with really sick livers are in trouble right now without a transplant. Several years ago there was enthusiasm for permanent artificial hearts, explained Dr. Strodel. Heart, liver, lung, kidney and pancreas transplants are all performed by the physicians in the Health Science Center's organ transplantation program. The team includes physicians from the departments of surgery, medicine and pediatrics. I'm really proud of all the people who make up that team.