Liver transplant, saving the life of a patient suffering from ulcerative colitis, was performed by the doctors of the University Teaching Hospital in Wrocław. The patient was in critical condition, in a hepatic coma, which is rare in this disease.
Dr. Elżbieta Poniewierka from the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of the University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław informed during a press conference on Thursday that complete liver destruction in patients with ulcerative colitis occurs very rarely.
“In this young 25-year-old patient, the process of complete liver destruction occurred unexpectedly and dramatically quickly. He was in a hepatic coma, and albumin dialysis was only able to help him for a few days. A life-saving transplant was necessary, as in the case of acute mushroom poisoning, ”added Poniewierka.
The doctor emphasized that in patients suffering from this inflammatory bowel disease, only about 10 percent. patients require a liver transplant, but it is usually “planned, not emergency, life-saving”.
The transplant surgeon Dr. Paweł Chudoba noted that the transplant was complicated, and the operation itself lasted over 10 hours.
“Two weeks after this procedure, we can say that the transplant has taken place and the patient can function normally. After just one day, we managed to wake him up from a hepatic coma. The key was that a suitable donor was found within two days, ”said Chudoba.
Dr. Marcin Rychter, the transplant coordinator at USK in Wrocław, emphasized that bringing the organ was not an easy matter.
“The donor was located more than 500 km from Wrocław. Due to the fog, our team of surgeons had to go in an ambulance which took 6 hours. Fortunately, thanks to the help of the army, the doctors returned with the organ by air within two hours ”- said the coordinator.
In 2015, 12 liver transplants were performed at the USK in Wrocław, including one in emergency, saving life.
USK in Wrocław is the largest and most modern hospital in Lower Silesia, the only one with 23 clinics. In some areas it is a leader on a national scale.
Scientists from USK were the first in the world to regenerate a severed spinal cord. They also conduct research on the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and many other projects, cooperating with centers in Poland and around the world. USK employs over 2700 doctors (PAP)