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Feature Stories
Twenty Years of Transplants
The Liver Transplant Program Celebrates a Milestone
By Nancy Mann Jackson
T
his past November, University Hospital celebrated 20 years of
performing liver transplants, as it looked to complete its
1,000th liver transplant in early 2004. In the two decades
since liver transplants were first performed at UAB, survival rates have
increased significantly and re-transplant rates have declined dramatically—
in fact, both rates have consistently been among the best in the nation.
“In the past 20 years, UAB has developed a nationally
recognized liver-transplant program that is in the top 20
by volume, and is in the top 10 when ranked by patient
outcomes,” says Devin Eckhoff, M.D., division director
of transplantation surgery. “Liver transplantation has
improved, reflecting better management of people with
liver disease and better management and care of patients
after transplants.”
Focused Care and Teamwork
Eckhoff says UAB will soon reach a milestone when it performs
its 1,000th liver transplant. “This shows the breadth of
the program and its longevity,” he says. “We couldn’t have
performed this many transplants without taking excellent
care of our patients and thereby generating more referrals. It’s
a vote of confidence by the referring physicians who continue
sending their patients here, and a vote of confidence by
the hospital and the Department of Surgery for supporting
the program for such a long time.”
“We couldn’t have performed this many transplants
without taking excellent care of our
patients and thereby generating more referrals.
It’s a vote of confidence by the referring physicians
who continue sending their patients here,
and a vote of confidence by the hospital and the
department of surgery for supporting the program
for such a long time.” — Devin Eckhoff, M.D.
An uncompromising commitment to patient care and an
uncommon level of expertise have helped bring the liver
transplant program to its preeminent level, Eckhoff says. “All
surgeons are not created equal,” he notes. “Our surgical
results and outcomes are much better than average.”
One reason for this superior record is the fact that, unlike
many transplant programs, the UAB surgeons who perform
liver transplants primarily focus on caring for people with
liver disease, Eckhoff says.
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Devin Eckhoff, M.D., cites UAB’s nationally recognized transplant programs as
proof positive of the university’s commitment to patient care.