Liver Transplant Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Liver Transplant, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery, organ donation.

Combined simultaneous heart and liver transplantation with complete cardiopulmonary bypass support.

Bernier PL, Grenon M, Ergina P, Schricker T, Chaudhury P, Metrakos P, Lachapelle K

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, McGill University Health Center, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Despite its initial description more than 20 years ago, combined orthotopic heart and liver transplantation is still performed infrequently. We report a 53-year-old man with familial hypertrophic restrictive cardiomyopathy who presented with right heart failure and end-stage liver failure and required combined orthotopic heart and liver transplantation. Rather then using a staged approach, the surgery was performed using a technique of simultaneous implantation supported by cardiopulmonary bypass. The relative merits of using a simultaneous approach are discussed. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and went home on postoperative day 14.

Published 26 March 2007 in Ann Thorac Surg, 83(4): 1544-5.
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