NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PERFORMS 2,500TH LIVER TRANSPLANT SURGERY

Surgeons and staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital performed their 2,500th liver transplant surgery on June 8, 2023, becoming the first health system in Illinois to reach this milestone. The hospital performed its first liver transplant surgery in 1993 and has since become a destination for lifesaving liver care.

“We celebrate every life that has been saved because of our team’s dedication to exceptional patient care,” said Juan Carlos Caicedo, MD, surgical director of liver transplantation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “Transplant surgeries change the lives of patients, their families and their communities. As physicians, nurses, social workers and staff, we are fulfilled by this work and celebrate the gift of life. We are also thankful to the real heroes of transplant surgery, the patients and family members who choose to donate their organs to save the lives of others.”

Northwestern Medicine is home to the largest organ transplant and living donor organ transplant programs in Illinois. It was the first to offer programs that focus on the unique needs of Hispanic and African American patients, and continues to have the largest such programs. It is home to more than 90 current clinical trials related to transplant and receives $8 million in federal funding for transplant research. As a result of this advanced approach, the team can transplant marginal livers that other transplant centers may have to reject.

“We are able to optimize organs through perfusion and surgical techniques to make them appropriate for patients who would be otherwise unlikely to receive transplants,” Dr. Caicedo said. “This makes even more organs available to the many patients who are on the waiting list.”
The liver transplant program’s capabilities extend to patients in Chicago’s suburbs, downstate Illinois and in Indiana. Transplant hepatologists from Northwestern Memorial Hospital travel to 17 satellite clinics so patients can receive care closer to home.

“More than 77 percent of patients who receive liver transplants at Northwestern Memorial Hospital come from ZIP codes outside of Chicago,” said Laura Kulik, MD, clinical practice director of hepatology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “About a quarter of them are hospitalized at the time of their liver transplants, but the vast majority require frequent outpatient visits for physician appointments and laboratory testing. We partner closely with primary care physicians, gastroenterologists and community hepatologists to coordinate each patient’s care and create personalized plans.”  

A new inpatient unit at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital provides highly specialized pre- and post-transplant care to patients who need liver transplants and want to stay closer to home.

“Many patients who are waiting for liver transplants live unpredictable lives because of the seriousness of their disease,” said Sean Koppe, MD, network director of transplant hepatology at Northwestern Medicine. “By extending our inpatient services to the suburbs, we hope to keep patients closer to home while they wait for their lifesaving surgeries.”

Dr. Caicedo said the 2,500th liver transplant milestone was made possible by innovation, collaboration and a shared commitment to leading-edge patient care.
“We are thankful to every organ donor and their family, and to each member of the team that has referred patients, performed research, coordinated transplants and provided bedside care to the people we serve,” Dr. Caicedo said. “Our support staff has helped create a culture of compassion that defines our team. We encourage each other to do more, celebrate every win and never forget the beauty of sending a patient home with a healthy new liver. It is an honor to care for these patients every day.”
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