The SLUCare Transplant Program at Saint Louis University Hospital consists of an experienced team of professionals dedicated solely to caring for the complex needs of patients requiring organ and tissue transplantation. Our transplant team – from physicians specializing in transplant medicine and surgery to nursing staff, case coordinators, therapists, social workers and support staff – is committed to the well-being of patients and the comfort of their families during the transplant service.
We are proud of the comprehensive transplant services we offer, which include liver, kidney, kidney-pancreas and bone marrow and stem cell transplantation. Here is an overview of our program:
Abdominal Transplant Program (Liver, Kidney, Kidney-Pancreas)
Saint Louis University Hospital's first kidney transplant was performed in 1968. Since then SLUCare physicians have developed one of the most comprehensive abdominal organ transplant programs in the country including kidney, kidney-pancreas, isolated pancreas and liver programs.
To listen to Bruce Bacon, MD, discuss liver disease prevention, click here.
Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy- Traditional kidney extraction requires transplant surgeons to make a large incision, retract muscles for long periods of time and, in some cases, even break ribs in order to reach a kidney. Even though, historically, patients who receive kidneys from living donors do better than those who receive cadaver kidneys, the potential discomfort and long recovery time made donating a kidney a difficult decision for people to make.
During a laparoscopic procedure, the surgeon makes two to five incisions of less than an inch, plus one incision measuring about three inches. Through the smaller incisions, the surgeon inserts a laparoscope – a small camera – and other special surgical instruments for use in a small space. The slightly longer incision, made just below the waist, allows the surgeon to use his or her hand to assist in extracting the kidney. Once the procedure is complete, the incisions are closed with surgical glue rather than with stitches.
Donors may resume some activity immediately following surgery, including sitting on the side of the bed, sitting in a chair and taking steps in their room with the assistance of a nurse. The next day, many donors are walking short distances, and may be discharged within 2 days of the procedure.
Kidney-Pancreas Transplant Program: Successful kidney-pancreas transplants may reverse the progression of vascular disease, including degeneration of the retina and other complications related to Type 1 diabetes. SLUCare physicians initiated one of the earliest programs in the country to treat patients with Type 1 diabetes with this procedure.
Since their first kidney-pancreas transplant in 1985, the program's transplant teams have performed many such transplantation procedures.
- Liver Transplant Program: The Abdominal Transplant Program at Saint Louis University Hospital began performing liver transplant procedures in 1988. The program has these continuing goals:
- making liver transplantation available to more patients
- helping patients survive the time between the availability of a suitable organ transplantation
- surgical advances enabling two patients to benefit from one organ
- lowering the rate of complications
- reducing the average length of hospital stay for liver transplantation
- continued improvement in survival rates
Click here for information on digestive diseases and disorders.
Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation Programs
A commitment to cancer care led Saint Louis University Hospital and SLUCare to establish a Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program in 1990. Since the program's inception, SLUCare specialists have performed hundreds of allogeneic and autologous blood and marrow transplants. An allogeneic transplant uses blood or marrow given by a donor. An autologous transplant uses a patient's own blood or marrow, which has been harvested at an earlier time.