Stanford University's Pediatric Liver Transplant Program at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford was launched in 1995, when the pediatric liver transplant team at California Pacific Medical Center was recruited to Stanford. Leading the nation with one of the highest success rate, the team performed more than 30 pediatric liver transplants annually. These outcomes are particularly remarkable because two-thirds of the children transplanted weighed less than 10 kilograms.
A Team Approach
The Pediatric Liver Transplant team at Stanford is directed by Dr. Carlos Esquivel. Dr. Esquivel began his work at the University of Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital in 1985. Dr. Esquivel created the Liver Transplant Program at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco in 1988, where they performed an average of 30 pediatric and 90 adult transplants per year. The total experience of Drs. Esquivel, and associates at CPMC and Stanford is now over 1200 liver transplant surgeries. The medical, nursing and support staff who were formerly at CPMC transitioned to Stanford in the first quarter of 1995. In February of 1995, Dr. Esquivel and his team performed their first pediatric transplant at Stanford. We are currently following over 300 pediatric pre- and post- transplant patients. The members of the team are:
Surgeons
Hepatologists
Other Liver Team Members
Gastroenterologysts
Surgical Excellence
Since moving the program to Stanford, the team has performed over 150 pediatric transplants. The surgical team at Stanford is particularly noted for success in transplanting infants and small children – especially those weighting less than 15 pounds – and successfully reducing livers for such transplants. In this procedure a liver from a larger donor is “trimmed” to fit a small recipient, thus helping to reduce the wait for an ideal matching donor. This technique is applied in living-related liver transplants at Stanford, when a segment of liver from a relative is removed and transplanted into the recipient. By using reduced size and living related liver donors, the liver transplant team at Stanford has successfully reduced infant mortality to 4% while waiting for a donor/transplant compared to 25% at other transplant centers. We have been successfully in minimizing use of blood products, which reduces the risk of infections transmitted through the blood. We have also been successful in shortening the length of stay in the hospital. School age children are typically hospitalized for 7-10 days following liver transplant surgery. Infants are usually hospitalized for 2-3 weeks.
An Environment Specially For Children
Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford is dedicated exclusively to the health and well being of children. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH) provides all pediatric services associated with the internationally known Stanford University Medical Center. As a teaching hospital, LPCH helps train the next generation of physicians dedicated to children. The hospital plays a lading role in applying new knowledge about prevention and treatment of childhood illnesses and birth defects to the practice of caring for children everywhere.
When a child is hospitalized, the experience can be stressful not only for the patient, but for parents and other family members. That is why Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital combined the best possible medical care with the utmost attention to the entire family’s needs. Among the things that make this hospital s special place are:
For those families coming from outside the Bay Area, Ronald McDonald House is within walking distance to LPCH as a temporary living option while your child recovers from transplant surgery. Our social worker can assist in making other temporary living arrangements to make your stay as comfortable and worry-free as possible. A shopping center is within walking distance of both Ronald McDonald House and LPCH. Free public transportation is available through Stanford University, making most of the Palo Alto area easily accessible.
Lifetime Follow-up
After discharge from the hospital, transplant recipients are monitored by physicians and nurses from the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program and their local pediatrician. Initially, the patient visits the Pediatric Liver Transplant Clinic twice a week for laboratory work and physician exams. As recovery progresses, these visits become less frequent. Our team will continue to be a part of follow-up care even after the patient is discharged to their home city. The Liver Transplant Team runs outreach clinics throughout the year in Hawaii, Portland, Seattle, Sacramento, Fresno, and Oakland to make life a little bit easier for our families in those areas.
Indications