Hallym University Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital

The liver transplantation team at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital successfully performed liver transplant for an 18-year-old patient with a liver from a brain-dead donor. The patient who is a university student could get her health back, thanks to the successful surgery conducted by the team led by Dr. Jang Yong Jeon of general surgery.

The patient was hospitalized in Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital last March because of sudden nausea, abdominal pain and jaundice. As her symptoms got worse despite the continuous treatment, Dr. Ji Won Park of Gastroenterology and Dr. Jeon’s team agreed that she needed liver transplantation. The team first put her on the waiting list at the Korean Network for Organ Sharing(KONOS) for donation from brain-dead donors. On the second day of registration, the team could find a donor from a hospital in Seoul. There was no damage on the donor’s liver, but the transplant surgery had to be conducted at 1 a.m. without delay, since the blood pressure was unstable due to atrial fibrillation.

The liver extract team led by Dr. Tae Seok Yoo of General Surgery at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital and Dr. Jun Ho Park of General Surgery at Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital successfully extracted and delivered the liver to Dr. Jeon’s team. The team including general surgeons Hyunwook Kwon and Won Tae Cho performed the liver transplantation. After 19 days of recovery, the young patient could leave the hospital.

By Ji-Yoon Lee, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (jlee@hallym.or.kr)