On this episode of Advances in Care, Dr. Steven Lobritto, pediatric medical director for liver transplant at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia, joins host Erin Welsh to tell the story of a high-risk pediatric liver transplant that he and his team performed to save the life of a two month old baby, after the center where the baby was originally treated deemed her inoperable. 

Dr. Lobritto describes how NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia has been building their liver transplant center since 1998, allowing them to push forward innovative, and life-saving, surgical strategies, like living donor and partial liver transplants, in order to increase the odds of survival for pediatric patients on the organ waitlist.

Children under one year of age have the highest mortality rates while waiting for a transplantable organ. In the case of this infant, the optimal treatment required surgical expertise in partial liver transplant due to her uniquely small size. Dr. Lobritto explains how he and his team coordinated with the patient’s initial care team across the country to prepare the critically ill, 11-pound baby to fly to New York, and the intricacies of the surgical procedure.

Dr. Lobritto also explains his involvement with the STARZL Network, a consortium of hospitals that share protocols, best practices, and learnings to address knowledge and training gaps in pediatric organ transplantation. He advocates for partial liver transplantation to be universally taught as a requirement of surgical training, to increase access to organs and save the lives of more young patients.

Chapters:

[00:00 - 5:58] NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia’s Liver Transplant Center 

Dr. Lobritto describes the strengths of the NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia Liver Transplant Center, including the cutting edge techniques that allowed them to coordinate a partial liver transplant in a critically ill baby. 

[5:58 - 8:12] A Specialized Transport to New York

Dr. Lobritto outlines the challenges of transporting the baby, who needed a mobile ICU team for life-support to travel to New York City. 

[8:12 - 12:50] Multidisciplinary Collaboration 

Dr. Lobritto shares the considerations that went into preparing for the baby’s complex surgery and how they adapted care when a complication arose. 

[12:10 - 14:41] The STARZL Network

Dr. Lobritto discusses his work with the STARZL Network, which strives to increase access to pediatric organ transplant. 

[14:41 - 15: 31] Credits

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Dr. Steven Lobritto is a distinguished pediatric gastroenterologist and a professor of pediatrics and medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). He has been instrumental in the development of the Pediatric Liver Transplantation Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and is the Medical Director of the program. Dr. Lobritto has trained many leading physicians in transplant hepatology and has contributed significantly to pediatric liver transplantation through his research and clinical care. His expertise in pediatric gastroenterology and liver transplantation has made him a respected figure in the medical community.

For more information visit nyp.org/Advances