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Show PG resident receives liver transplant Christopher M.Tsoi.M.D. About 45 medical centers in the U.S. have done liver transplants. The first such procedure was performed in 1963. Since then, about 1000 have been done worldwide and about 600 in this country. Liver transplant survival rates have now reached 70 percent after the first year. The rate is continuing to improve, thanks to the anti-rejection anti-rejection drug, Cyclosporine, as well as improved surgical techniques. The liver is the largest organ in the body, weighing about three pounds. It is the major metabolic organ, which means that its primary responsibility is converting food into essential nutrients for the body. It also manufacturers most of the body's proteins and removes toxic substances from the blood. Chemical modification of medicine also takes place in the liver. The LDS Hospital serves as a major referral center for six states and more than 75 regional health care insituttions. Its transplant program includes the capability of transplanting heart,, heart valves, kidneys, corneas, skin, major bones, and bone marrow as well as livers. By KALYN SECRETAN A Pleasant Grove resident received the first adult liver transplant in the Intermountain region Saturday, March 22, at the LDS Hospital. The 54-year-old man was number one on the waiting listand wore a beeper during the past two weeks while awaiting the transplant. He could not be more than one hour away from the hospital at any time. ., Following a temple session in Provo last Friday evening, the candidate was contacted at the temple and given the word to go immediately to the hospital. The patient is recovering as expected in the Intensive Care Unit. In uncomplicated cases, liver transplant recipients can be released in as few as three weeks. In accordance with the patient's request and hospital policy, the name will not be released. The surgery began shortly after midnight and ended about 10 a.m. Saturday. Approximately eight units of packed red blood cells and eight units of fresh frozen plasma were used. The surgery team was led by Lawrence E. Stevens, M.D., chairman of the Department of Surgery and Director of the Transplant Program at LDS Hospital. He was assisted by Kent F. Richards, M.D.; LeGrand P. Belnap, M.D.; William V. Rees, M.D.; Robert J. Stratta, M.D.; and |