Liver to the Rescue

We got a call yesterday morning that one of my patients who was very close to losing a battle to liver cancer was first call for a liver transplant last night. The transplant surgeon took me with him for the organ procurement, an operation I've only seen once before. It was spectacular. I scrubbed into the 3 1/2 surgery with some of the top surgeon's in Chicago. It was amazing to watch a liver team, a heart team, a lung team all diligently work for hours on end. It had been years since I have had the opportunity to touch a beating heart, perfect lungs and a young, healthy liver. I watched (and like to think assisted a little bit) as each team delicately removed an organ and took it back to their own hospital to save another life. One woman saved at least 4 lives last night. One of which was my patient.

Please don't forget to discuss organ donation with your family. Fill out your state's required paper work. Here are websites for my frequent visitors.

Michigan:
https://services.sos.state.mi.us/OrganDonor/Registry.aspx

Illinois:
https://www.ilsos.gov/organdonorregister/
or www.lifegoeson.org

Wisconsin:
https://www.donatelifewisconsin.com/donate.html

Just Another Tuesday Night

Yesterday I decided at the last minute to go to see Metallica in Rosemont. The crowd was filled with mullets and headbanging. It was an experience. I wanted you all to share the fun.

The Red Journal

I published an article in The American Journal of Gastroenterology this month. It was a project I worked on during my residency looking at racial differences in fatty liver disease (NAFLD/NASH) by comparing liver biopsies done at the time of gastric bypass surgeries. Nice to see the data published in one of the best journals in Gastroenterology.


Check it out:
http://www.nature.com/ajg/journal/v104/n1/full/ajg200812a.html

Yes. I know I'm a nerd. Thanks.

Favorite Christmas Cookie