Post by LARRY on Aug 25, 2007 17:51:16 GMT -5
Baby doing well after getting five organs at NYC hospital
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An 8-month-old boy who received five organs in a complex transplant for a rare gastrointestinal disease was doing well and was expected to begin learning to eat next week, his doctors said Friday.
Elijah Moulton received a liver, small bowel, pancreas, colon and stomach during the seven-hour procedure on July 10 at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian.
He was born with total intestinal atresia, a rare malformation of the entire gastrointestinal tract that makes eating impossible.
The hospital called a news conference Friday to talk about the operation and the boy's prognosis.
Dr. Mercedes Martinez said he would probably be moved to a rehab center on Monday, where he will spend up to six weeks learning to eat. His release was delayed a few days because he was having difficulty breathing.
"He's doing so well right now," Martinez said. "He's gorgeous. He's looking around and smiling."
She said organ rejection and infection were the biggest complications the baby faced during the first six to 10 weeks after surgery.
The hospital said the surgery involved one donor, and all the organs were kept together as a single unit with connections intact.
The head surgeon, Dr. Dominique Jan, performed the world's first successful intestinal transplant in 1991 involving two organs. The doctor said as many as seven organs can safely be transplanted at the same time.
"By transplanting several organs at once, we can give children with serious intestinal malformations or infections hope for a healthy future," he said.
Elijah's parents, Heather and Brad Moulton, live in Lewis, several hours north of New York City. He has a brother and sister, ages 5 and 3.
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An 8-month-old boy who received five organs in a complex transplant for a rare gastrointestinal disease was doing well and was expected to begin learning to eat next week, his doctors said Friday.
Elijah Moulton received a liver, small bowel, pancreas, colon and stomach during the seven-hour procedure on July 10 at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian.
He was born with total intestinal atresia, a rare malformation of the entire gastrointestinal tract that makes eating impossible.
The hospital called a news conference Friday to talk about the operation and the boy's prognosis.
Dr. Mercedes Martinez said he would probably be moved to a rehab center on Monday, where he will spend up to six weeks learning to eat. His release was delayed a few days because he was having difficulty breathing.
"He's doing so well right now," Martinez said. "He's gorgeous. He's looking around and smiling."
She said organ rejection and infection were the biggest complications the baby faced during the first six to 10 weeks after surgery.
The hospital said the surgery involved one donor, and all the organs were kept together as a single unit with connections intact.
The head surgeon, Dr. Dominique Jan, performed the world's first successful intestinal transplant in 1991 involving two organs. The doctor said as many as seven organs can safely be transplanted at the same time.
"By transplanting several organs at once, we can give children with serious intestinal malformations or infections hope for a healthy future," he said.
Elijah's parents, Heather and Brad Moulton, live in Lewis, several hours north of New York City. He has a brother and sister, ages 5 and 3.
BCS Improved Poster Award 
