Transplant - June 2015 Archives

PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic, as a three-site organization, remains the largest provider of solid organ transplants in the U.S. and continues to be identified as having patient and graft survival outcomes that rank among the best in the nation. According to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), a national database of transplant statistics, Mayo Clinic’s transplant programs in Arizona, Florida and Rochester, Minn., score statistically better than expected in terms of patient and graft survivals at the reported time points of one month, one year and three years. Graft survival means that the transplanted organ is still functioning. The lung transplant program at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus was one of two lung transplant programs in the U.S. with statistically better-than-expected outcomes for one-year patient and graft survival. Florida’s liver transplant program, with  three-year patient and graft survival rates that also are statistically better than expected, is one of only four programs meeting this criteria at that time point. MEDIA CONTACT: Lynn Closway, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, newsbureau@mayo.edu / 507-284-5005.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCkuBx2w1VI There are many things in life parents don't want to miss: from a baby’s first words and first steps to high ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., and SILVER SPRING, Md. — Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR) today announced a collaboration to build and operate a lung restoration center on the Mayo campus. The goal is to significantly increase the volume of lungs for transplantation by preserving and restoring selected marginal donor lungs, making them viable for transplantation. The restored lungs will be made available to patients at Mayo Clinic and other transplant centers throughout the United States. Construction of the center is expected to be completed in late 2017. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. “This collaboration is exciting because it allows Mayo Clinic to bring the latest advances in life-saving technology to transplant patients,” says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida. “Ultimately, this relationship will help Mayo Clinic expand its reach to patients who could benefit from this innovation. Increasing the number of lungs available for transplantation provides more options for patients suffering from pulmonary disease.” MEDIA CONTACTS: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0746, punsky.kevin@mayo.edu; Michael Benkowitz, United Therapeutics Corporation, 415-464-4838, mbenkowitz@unither.com Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Farrugia are available in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn5NUxLV-ms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg1UJdKKjzk Andre Pearson, a heart failure patient who has been at Mayo Clinic since March, initially was too ill to leave the Rochester, Minn., hospital to go to his daughter’s wedding in California. He had resigned himself to watching it online. But a few days before the Saturday evening ceremony, with Mr. Pearson doing well, his care team decided to explore whether it might be possible for him to make the trip after all. With the right game plan in place, they determined that it was. A Mayo staff member accompanied him, and Mr. Pearson surprised his daughter, Alexandra, by arriving the evening before the wedding in Indio, Calif., and promising to walk her down the aisle. "I can't help but cry, but it's tears of joy," Mr. Pearson said Thursday, after learning that he had received medical clearance to leave the hospital for the wedding and his travel plans were under way. When Mr. Pearson, 61, of Omaha, Neb., arrived at Mayo in late March, it looked like he might have only a year to live. The ordained pastor was too ill to qualify for a heart transplant, and his kidneys were failing. After surgery in which Mayo surgeons repaired his heart valve and, for the first time at Mayo, implanted both a left ventricular assist device and a temporary right ventricular assist device to help his heart pump, followed by ongoing dialysis and physical rehabilitation, Mr. Pearson is now well enough that he will likely return home within the next month. After that, he will be evaluated for a possible heart transplant. His kidneys are recovering as well, so he may not need dialysis long-term. His lead cardiac surgeon, David L. Joyce, M.D., credits Mr. Pearson’s tenacity for his recovery. "Really, if you were just to look at everything on paper, you would say, `There's really nothing here we can offer.' Then when you meet Mr. Pearson and you realize what he's capable of, then you start to think outside the box a little bit," Dr. Joyce says. "That's when we came up with the idea of using a new device for supporting the right heart (the right ventricular assist device). He was kind of a pioneer and willing to take on that uncertainty, and it actually worked out beautifully." Mr. Pearson is the brother of former Dallas Cowboy Drew Pearson, famous in Minnesota for catching a "Hail Mary" pass against the Minnesota Vikings. Not knowing that Andre Pearson’s brother was Drew Pearson, Dr. Joyce told him before surgery that it would be a bit of a Hail Mary pass; Mr. Pearson and his wife, Gina Pearson, then remarked that they know all about those. Journalists: Video of Mr. Pearson surprising his daughter and walking her down the aisle and of Mr. Pearson and Dr. Joyce discussing his medical case and the "Hail Mary Pass" is available in the downloads. For interviews, please contact Sharon Theimer in Mayo Clinic Media Relations at newsbureau@mayo.edu or 507-284-5005.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis three months ago. I don’t have any symptoms yet but wonder what I should look for. Are there things I can do to slow its progression? ANSWER: Your situation is common. Most people diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis, or PBC, in its early stages do not have any symptoms. Many remain symptom-free for years. Medication is available that can slow the progression of the disease, making it less likely that you will develop symptoms soon. PBC is a disease in which the bile ducts in the liver become damaged. Bile, a fluid that your liver makes, plays a role in digesting food. It also helps your body get rid of worn-out red blood cells, cholesterol and toxins. When bile ducts don’t work the way they should, harmful substances can build up in your liver. In time, that may lead to irreversible scarring of your liver tissue.