Springdale Woman Becomes 500th Patient to Receive Liver Transplant at The University Hospital
Contact :Patty Thelen (513) 585-7200
Cincinnati - Electra D. Goudeau, 44, of Springdale, recently became the 500th patient to receive a liver transplant at The University Hospital. She had been on the waiting list for a liver for 31 days. Goudeau is feeling well and resting comfortably at home.
The University Hospital offers the Tristate's only adult liver transplant program, and is the second largest liver transplant program in Ohio. Sixty-two liver transplants were performed at The University Hospital in 2004. The program began in 1986 and has grown substantially over the last several years.
"Our 500th patient's transplant is an important milestone for our program," says Steven M. Rudich, M.D., Ph.D., director of University Hospital's liver transplant program. "Our long history and dedicated team of experienced transplant professionals have resulted in advanced treatments and excellent survival rates for patients with end-stage liver disease."
The University Hospital's liver transplant program uses innovative techniques, including the use of extended criteria donor (ECD) livers and steroid-free immunosuppressive drug regimens. The use of ECD livers allows patients to be transplanted in a much sooner timeframe, resulting in very short wait lists and very few patients succumbing to liver failure while awaiting a transplant. Liver transplant patients who take steroid-free immunosuppressive drug regimens are not subject to the harmful effects of steroids, such as bone loss, weight gain, hypertension and diabetes.
Liver transplant patients at University Hospital are cared for by a multidisciplinary team including transplant surgeons, gastroenterologists/hepatologists, nurses, transplant assistants, social workers, dietitians, financial counselors and physical and occupational therapists.
The University Hospital is part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The Christ Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital, The Fort Hamilton Hospital and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, go to www.health-alliance.com/pressroom.