Eight days after the pediatric liver transplant program at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt was launched, 10-year-old Aubree Vanzant received her liver.
Diagnosed on May 27 with autoimmune hepatitis, the Maryville resident underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove her grossly oversized organ and replace it with a healthy, deceased donor liver on June 25. Just three weeks post-transplant, Vanzant was out of the hospital and recuperating in a nearby hotel.
Her mother, Nikole Sellers, said there have been a multitude of blessings throughout the entire journey, including having the director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center as the lead surgeon on their case. “I am so thankful for the entire team,” said Sellers.
No stranger to building nationally recognized liver transplant programs — he has three under his belt — Douglas Hanto, MD, PhD, professor of Surgery and director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center, said starting the pediatric program will allow children in the region with liver disease to receive world-class care close to home.
“We have a goal of identifying the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt as a comprehensive transplant center,” said Hanto, who along with Department of Surgery Chair Seth Karp, MD, will serve as the two pediatric liver transplant surgeons. “With the addition of the liver transplant program, our ability to care for some of the more complex pediatric medical conditions is greatly expanded.”
Children’s Hospital now offers liver, heart, kidney and stem cell transplantation. “The program we are starting is new, but our medical, surgical and transplant teams are very experienced. This is a very exciting time for us and we are looking forward to getting started,” Hanto said.
As the pediatric liver transplant program is unveiled, Hanto expects to integrate the newest innovative and technological solutions, including:
- An immunocompromised host consult service for all pediatric transplants. Established by Infectious Diseases, it is designed to offer input into the care of patients whose immune systems are suppressed or impaired.
- Discussions about combined heart/liver transplants for a special subset of patients with congenital heart abnormalities, who as they age, may develop liver failure requiring the transplantation of both organs.
- The expansion of the care of patients with inborn errors of metabolism, rare genetic disorders in which the body cannot properly turn food into energy.