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Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine - St Vincent's ...

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<strong>St</strong>.Vincent’s Healthcare Group<br />

Liver Transplant Pro g r a m m e<br />

<strong>and</strong> Liver Unit<br />

Departmental Review<br />

134<br />

<strong>St</strong>aff<br />

Surgical<br />

Medical<br />

Registrars<br />

Mr. Oscar Traynor, Mr. Justin Geoghegan,<br />

Mr. Donal Maguire, Mr Gerry McEntee.<br />

Professor John Hegarty,<br />

Dr. Aidan McCormick.<br />

Dr. Garret Cullen,Dr.Chun Seng Lee,<br />

Dr. Lorraine Power, Dr. Diarmuid Manning,<br />

Dr. Conor O’Brien,Mr. Ragu Varadarajan,<br />

Mr. Mashood Ahmed,<br />

Mr Richard Mascarhenas.<br />

Transplant Co-ordinators<br />

Ms.Aoife Coffey, Ms.Jennifer Fleming,<br />

Ms Yvonne Mc Garry. Ms. Sheila O’Toole<br />

Nursing<br />

Administration<br />

Liver Transplant Programme<br />

Ms.Maureen Flynn,Ms.Margaret Cullen,<br />

Ms Brenda O’Sullivan.Ms.Anne Brennan,<br />

Ms.Elizabeth Burke, Ms.Valerie O’Brien,<br />

Ms.Antoinette Flynn,<br />

Ms.Dolores Dempsey Ryan,<br />

Ms.Susan Patton,Ms.Siobhan Cronin,<br />

Ms.Carol Mc Nulty<br />

Ms.Rita Burns,Ms Noreen Kelly,<br />

Ms Aideen Holden,Ms.Georgina O’Reilly.<br />

A total of 32 liver transplants were performed in 28 patients<br />

during the year 2003. There were 20 elective transplants <strong>and</strong> 4<br />

emergency transplants,along with 8 re-transplant operations.<br />

The total number of liver transplants performed from January<br />

1993 until December 2003 was 294.The overall success rate is<br />

just over 84%, which is in keeping with the best rates achieved<br />

in large liver transplant units in the United <strong>St</strong>ates <strong>and</strong> Europe.<br />

The biggest challenge facing the National Liver Transplant<br />

Programme during 2003 was the constraint placed by the<br />

physical limitations of the Liver Unit in <strong>St</strong> Brigid’s Ward. The<br />

ward unit <strong>and</strong> staffing complement remains the same as when<br />

the programme commenced in 1993 <strong>and</strong> the workload now far<br />

exceeds the facilities available. During 2003,the hospital<br />

management in collaboration with the Department of Health<br />

<strong>and</strong> Children began work on an enlarged Liver Unit which will<br />

have 21 beds,including 5 high dependency beds <strong>and</strong> a<br />

corresponding increase in staff numbers. The enlarged unit<br />

should be open <strong>and</strong> functioning by September 2004 <strong>and</strong> will<br />

greatly enhance our ability to deliver a service which matches<br />

the needs of the National Liver Transplant Programme.<br />

Organ donation continued at a very satisfactory level during<br />

2003.Irel<strong>and</strong> is in an almost uniquely favourable position in<br />

relation to organ donation. Most transplant units throughout<br />

Europe <strong>and</strong> the United <strong>St</strong>ates are struggling to maintain an<br />

adequate service in the face of dwindling organ donations. We<br />

are extremely fortunate to have a population who are well<br />

disposed to the concept of organ donation at a time of<br />

bereavement <strong>and</strong> great personal distress.<br />

In January 2003 we marked the 10th anniversary of the first<br />

liver transplant operation. A number of commemorative events<br />

took place to mark the occasion. In February 2003 there was a<br />

commemorative celebration for patients <strong>and</strong> their families<br />

which took place in the hospital. A great many of the patients<br />

who have received liver transplants over the past 10 years<br />

attended this wonderful event, including the first patient who<br />

was transplanted in January 1993. In March 2003,a gala dinner<br />

was held for past <strong>and</strong> current staff members <strong>and</strong> this was also a<br />

highly successful event. Great credit is due to the liver<br />

transplant co-ordinators <strong>and</strong> members of the nursing staff who<br />

organised these events.<br />

The success of the National Liver Transplant Programme over<br />

the past 10 years has resulted in an ever increasing pattern of<br />

referral of patients with complex medical <strong>and</strong> surgical problems<br />

of the liver which do not necessarily require liver<br />

transplantation, but who might be treated non surgically or by<br />

types of surgery other than transplantation. This referral<br />

pattern has had highly beneficial effects on training for doctors,<br />

nurses <strong>and</strong> para medical staff at <strong>St</strong> Vincent’s University Hospital<br />

but it has also stretched the resources of the <strong>Intensive</strong> <strong>Care</strong><br />

Unit <strong>and</strong> the Department of Diagnostic Imaging.The<br />

programme has exp<strong>and</strong>ed well beyond what was envisaged in<br />

early 1993, <strong>and</strong> the success of the programme has made <strong>St</strong><br />

Vincent’s University Hospital the natural site of referral for the<br />

vast majority of complex hepatology <strong>and</strong> hepatobiliary surgery<br />

problems in Irel<strong>and</strong>.<br />

Finally, we were pleased at the arrival in September 2003 of Mr<br />

Donal Maguire as an additional consultant surgeon on the<br />

National Liver Transplant Programme. Mr Maguire has recently<br />

completed his higher surgical training with a special interest in<br />

hepatobiliary surgery <strong>and</strong> has undergone two years of training<br />

at Kings College Hospital London. His addition to the progra m m e<br />

means that we now have three surgeons based at <strong>St</strong> Vincent’s<br />

University Hospital with a major interest in liver surgery <strong>and</strong><br />

liver transplantation.<br />

Liver Research Group<br />

The Liver Research group is concerned with a variety of areas<br />

of research including Liver Transplant Immunology, Hepatic<br />

Cytokines in Health <strong>and</strong> Disease,Tumour Immunology <strong>and</strong><br />

Hepatitis C Virus infection <strong>and</strong> has been a recipient of significant<br />

funding from Enterprise Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> The Health Research Board<br />

in 2003. Over twenty scientific papers were presented at<br />

National <strong>and</strong> International meetings with Dr. Lucy Golden-<br />

Mason,Dr.Anna Kelly <strong>and</strong> Dr. Margaret O’Brien being recipients<br />

of awards for work presented. Higher degrees have been<br />

conferred on Dr Tony Kenna (PHD),Dr. Michael Curry (MD)<br />

<strong>and</strong> Mr. Ragu Varadarajan (NCH). For her outst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

commitment <strong>and</strong> achievements in a wide spectrum of clinical<br />

<strong>and</strong> basic research activities,Cliona O’Farrelly was appointed<br />

adjunct Professor in the faculty of <strong>Medicine</strong> U.C.D. in 2003.<br />

Publications<br />

Kenna T, Golden-Mason L1, Porcelli SA, Koezuka Y, Hegarty JE,<br />

O’Farrelly C, Doherty DG. Selective depletion of Vα24Vß11 + T<br />

cell receptor-positive NKT cells in the livers of patients with hepatic<br />

malignancy. J Immunol 2003 Aug 15;171(4):1775-9 PMID<br />

12902477<br />

Kenna T, Golden-Mason L, Porcelli SA, Koezuka Y, Hegarty JE,<br />

O’Farrelly C, Doherty DG. NKT cells from normal <strong>and</strong> tumorbearing<br />

human livers are phenotypica <strong>and</strong> functionally distinct from<br />

murine NKT cells. J.Immunol.2003 Aug 15;171(4):1775-9.PMID<br />

12902477<br />

Smith F, Golden-Mason L,Deignan T, Norris S,Nolan N,Traynor<br />

O, McEntee G,Hegarty J,O’Farrelly C. Localisation of T <strong>and</strong> B<br />

Lymphocytes in Histologically Normal Adult Human Donor Liver J.<br />

Hepato-Gastro 2003;Sep-Oct:50(53):1311-5 PMID 14571725<br />

Curry MP, Golden-Mason L,Doherty DG,Norris S,Duffy M,<br />

Nolan N,Hall W, Hegarty JE,O’Farrelly C. Expansion of Innate<br />

CD5pos B Cells Expressing High Levels of CD81 in HCV Infected<br />

Liver J.Hepatol 2003; 38:642-650 PMID 12713876<br />

V<strong>and</strong>eputte C, McCormick PA, Docherty JR. Responsiveness to<br />

noradrenaline in aorta from wild-type, nitric ocide synthase-2,nitric<br />

oxide synthase-3 <strong>and</strong> alpha 2A/D-adrenoceptor knockout mice.<br />

European Journal of Pharmacology. 2003;466:129-136.<br />

Lee CS,McCormick PA. Telephone reminders to reduce nonattendance<br />

rates for endoscopy. J R Soc Med 2003;96:547-8<br />

McCormick PA,Treanor D, McCormack G,Farrell M.Early<br />

death from paracetamol (acetaminophen) induced fulminant<br />

hepatic failure without cerebral oedema. J Hepatol 2003,<br />

39:547-51<br />

Hade AM, Shine AM, Kennedy NP,<br />

McCormick PA. Both under-nutrition<br />

<strong>and</strong> obesity increase morbidity<br />

following liver transplantation.<br />

Ir Med J 2003;96:140-2<br />

135

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