500th liver transplant completed at Texas Children’s

March 21, 2017

On March 17, the 500th liver transplant was performed in the Main ORs at Texas Children’s Hospital. Dr. John Goss, medical director of Transplant Services and surgical director of the Liver Transplant Program at Texas Children’s, led the team who transplanted a donor liver into a 5-year-old boy. This volume has only been accomplished by a handful of pediatric programs in the U.S., and Texas Children’s is now among this distinguished group.

The multidisciplinary team involved in the milestone included: surgeons Drs. John Goss, Christine O’Mahony, Thao Nguyen and Abbas Rana; anesthesiologists Drs. Paul Hopkins and Ann Ng; physician assistant, Marielle Faraone, and nursing circulator Jana Brunet, with surgical techs Susan Burnicle and Danielle Govea. Transplant coordinator, Ashton Bramlett, organized the transplant, ensuring all were informed and kept the parents updated.

The extended liver transplant team includes: anesthesiologists Drs. Rahul Baijil, Carlos Campos, Nicholas Carling, Yang Liu, David Mann, Nihar Patel, Steven Stayer, William Waldrop and Kenneth Wayman. Perioperative Services staff on the liver transplant team includes: nurses Theresa Bagley, Jana Brunet, Anita Hadley, Lindsay Meade, Audra Rushing and Wendy Sison, with surgical techs Megan Izaquirre and Marlon Wilkins.

“I would like to congratulate everyone at Texas Children’s who has contributed to the development of our Liver Transplant Program,” said Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr., surgeon-in-chief at Texas Children’s. “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of the incredible teamwork and dedication of those who care for our transplant patients each day.”

The institution’s first liver transplant was completed on September 14, 1988. In 2013, the program performed 43 liver transplants, the largest number completed in one year at Texas Children’s.