Transplantation

Host: Paul Doghramji, MD

Guest: Maria Escolar, MD, MS

Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a rare genetic disorder that when left untreated, can have severe and even fatal consequences. Here to review the available treatment options for these patients is Dr. Maria Escolar, the Director of the Program for the Study of Neurodevelopment in Rare Disorders and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc

Guest: Paul Orchard, MD

Although it only affects about one in 18,000 people, the impacts of adrenoleukodystrophy cannot be underestimated. That’s why Dr. Paul Orchard joins Mario Nacinovich to talk about this rare—and fatal—genetic disease, why it’s often underdiagnosed and confused with other conditions, and how we can treat it once we’ve reached an accurate diagnosis.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Dr. Mark Zucker, Director of the Cardiothoracic Transplantation Program at RWJBH/Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, and his HCM patient and founder of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, Lisa Salberg, to discuss her inspiring story and the importance of early diagnosis.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD

Guest: Bob Mitchell

Quite suddenly, Bob Mitchell became very sick. He would endure three near-fatal episodes of ventricular tachycardia due to a heart muscle comprised of 54% scar tissue, as well as heart surgeries, two harrowing months of waiting on the transplant list for a new heart on life-supporting IV drips (during which time a malignant tumor was detected in his kidney), partial nephrectomy surgery to remove the cancer, another month of waiting, a 12-hour heart and kidney transplant surgery, and 100 days on life support in four different hospitals.

Host Dr. Maurice Pickard talks with novelist Bob Mitchell, author of Time for a Heart-to-Heart: Reflections on Life in the Face of Death about his inspiring story of the triumph of hope in the face of the direst of circumstances.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD

For the first time, Penn Medicine surgeons were able to complete a bilateral hand transplant on a child. The surgical team successfully transplanted donor hands and forearms onto 8-year-old Zion Harvey who, several years earlier, had undergone amputation of his hands and feet and a kidney transplant following a serious infection.

Host Dr. Shira Johnson sits down with Dr. Scott Levin, who led the surgical team and is Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Penn Medicine. They discuss this remarkable, groundbreaking surgery.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD

Guest: Joseph M. Serletti MD

Reconstructive microsurgery, where specialized operating microscopes and precision instrumentation are utilized to perform intricate operations in very small fields, is a rapidly evolving specialty. Dr. Joseph Serletti, Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, oversees the largest reconstructive microsurgery program by volume in the country, performing over 700 free tissue transfers for breast, head & neck, and extremity reconstructions. Dr. Serletti joins host Dr. Ashira Johnson discusses the nuances of these complex procedures, as well as updates on the next horizons in reconstructive microsurgery such as facial and hand tranplants and replants.

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD

Guest: Maarouf Hoteit, MD

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the top ten causes of cancer death in the United States, and is the most rapidly increasing cause of cancer death in men. What's more, incidence rates are on the rise. For these reasons, understanding the nuances of early liver cancer detection, and treating underlying liver diseases prior to cancer development, have been more urgently needed.

Joining Dr. Barry Mennen to discuss diagnostic, medical, and surgical priorities for managing hepatocellular carcinoma is Dr. Maarouf Hoteit, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Director of the Multidisciplinary Liver Tumor Clinic, and Program Director of the Transplant Hepatology Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO

Guest: Christian A. Bermudez, MD

Christian A. Bermudez, MD is the Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation and ECMO, Director of Thoracic Transplantation, and Associate Professor of Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bermudez discusses current technologies used in lung transplantation, including mechanical support as a bridge to oxygenation during the procedures themselves. He also reviews the role of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in lung transplantation.

CDC's Dr. Phoebe Thorpe speaks with Dr. Sherif Zaki about the important work being done to further reduce the risk of unusual transplant-associated infections.

Ensuring that organs are safe requires:

• Involvement by many disciplines including: pathologists, epidemiologists, clinicians, and others
• Global collaboration between federal and state agencies as well as academic institutions
• Continued focus on improving regulations and screening procedures

Host: Aaron Carroll, MD

Guest: Paul R. Helft, MD

Guest: A. Joseph Tector, MD, PhD

One of the most pressing problems in transplant medicine is the shortage of available organ donors to keep up with high demand. What are the ethical considerations of solving the liver shortage problem with xenotransplantation? Host Dr. Aaron Carroll welcomes Drs. Tector and Helft for the second part in a discussion of xenotransplantation. Dr. Joseph Tector directs the section of transplant surgery's xenotransplantation research program at Indiana University Health. Dr. Paul Helft is director of the Charles Warren Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics at Indiana University Health, and is a member of the IU Health Ethics Committee and co-chair of the IU Health Ethics Consultation Subcommittee.