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Department of Surgery News and Stories

Transplant Surgery

Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery    Awards    Transplant Surgery

Department of Surgery Members Honored With UCHealth Medical Staff Awards

Five faculty members in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery were honored in January as part of the University of Colorado Hospital Medical Staff Awards. The awards are given annually by UCHealth, one of the surgery department’s partner hospitals.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date February 09, 2024
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Community    Transplant Surgery

Surgery Fellow’s Book Series Helps Children Understand Their Care 

Maria Baimas-George, MD, MPH, first noticed it early in her residency — doctors, and surgeons in particular, aren’t always the best at explaining complex medical issues to young patients. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date October 30, 2023
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Research    Transplant Surgery

Innovative Overnight Advanced Practice Provider Program Transforms Patient Care

JoLynn Shinsako, PA-C, MS, physician assistant in transplant surgery at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, helped found and currently leads a nocturnal advanced practice provider surgical subspecialty service aimed at optimizing patient care overnight in various surgical subspecialties.


Author Carie Behounek | Publish Date October 23, 2023
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Research    Heart    Transplant Surgery

Are Single-Ventricle Heart Transplant Patients Truly at Higher Risk? 

New research by Syed Shahyan Bakhtiyar, MD, a surgical resident in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, may help surgeons make more informed decisions about heart transplant surgery for their patients. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date October 20, 2023
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Community    Transplant Surgery    Liver Transplant

CU Surgeons Perform Department’s First Robotic Living Liver Donation

Aiming to increase the number of living liver donors by making liver donation surgery easier and quicker to recover from, the University of Colorado Department of Surgery recently performed its first robotic hepatectomy (surgery to remove a portion of the liver) from a living donor. Using a surgical robot to perform the procedure results in a smaller incision, less scarring, less pain, and a faster recovery for the donor. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date August 30, 2023
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Press Coverage    Transplant Surgery

Parker Woman First in Colorado To Receive Robotic Liver Transplant Surgery

PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — Surgeons at the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital have made a medical breakthrough, successfully completing a robotic living donor liver transplant for the first time in state history, according to UCHealth. 


Author KDVR | Publish Date August 15, 2023
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Community    Awareness    Transplant Surgery    Organ donation

Completing an Ironman Just Four Months after Donating a Kidney

Six days after Liz Young donated her left kidney to a stranger in Pennsylvania, she and her mom were walking a slow but determined 3.1 miles in the annual Donor Dash 5K.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date June 29, 2023
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Patient Care    Community    Transplant Surgery

Using More Precise Language to Talk About Organ Transplant Waiting Times

One of the first questions that patients often ask when they enter the list for a transplant organ is, “How long will I be waiting?”


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date March 31, 2023
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Community    Transplant Surgery    Equity Diversity and Inclusion

Program Works to Close Racial Gaps in Kidney Transplantation

Kidney disease is sometimes called the “silent disease” because it can be symptomless in its early stages. An estimated 90% of Americans who have chronic kidney disease (CKD) may not even know they have it until it is advanced.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date March 30, 2023
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Transplant Center    Transplant Surgery

Controversies in Transplantation: A Convention for Groundbreaking Ideas in Transplantation

Earlier this month, the Division of Transplant Surgery in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery hosted its annual Controversies in Transplantation conference (CIT), which gathered the finest minds in transplantation science from around the country in Colorado. For more than two decades, this conference has served as a platform for groundbreaking ideas and discussions within the transplant community.


Author Khushnuma Damkevala | Publish Date March 27, 2023
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Awards    Transplant Surgery    Liver Transplant

Megan Adams, MD, Receives Pipeline Award for Mentorship in Transplant 

Megan Adams, MD, surgical director of pediatric living donor transplantation at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, has received the 2023 Pipeline Award from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS). 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date February 28, 2023
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Transplant Surgery    Liver Transplant

CU Surgeons Set Records for Transplants in 2022 

2022 was a record-breaking year for the number of transplants performed by the organ transplant team at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, with more than 300 kidney transplants, more than 130 liver transplants, more than 60 heart transplants, and 40 lung transplants performed over the past 12 months. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date January 23, 2023
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Transplant Surgery

Robotic Kidney Transplants Offer New Lease on Life to High-BMI Patients 

Historically, the outlook has been grim for obese patients who need kidney transplants. Due to the physical requirements of the operation, those with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher typically have been denied access to the life-saving procedure. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 22, 2022
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Research    Transplant Surgery    Liver Transplant

Living-Donor Liver Transplant Recipients Gain an Average of 13 to 17 Life-Years Following Surgery

Research recently published in JAMA Surgery demonstrates that living-donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients gain an additional 13 to 17 life-years following their surgery compared with patients who remain on the donor waitlist.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date September 06, 2022
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Research    Transplant Surgery    Liver Transplant

Obesity, Alcohol Use, and Decreased Blood Clotting Associated with Return to Operating Room After Liver Transplant

Liver transplant surgery is a vital and life-saving procedure, but it also is associated with a high rate of postoperative complications. As many as one in four liver transplant patients will return to the operating room (R-OR) within 48 hours of their initial surgery.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date August 24, 2022
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Department of Surgery In the News

UCHealth

Colorado School of Mines Student Returns To Wrestling Team After Car Accident Forced Devastating Leg Amputation

news outletUCHealth
Publish DateFebruary 22, 2024

“Wrestling is a difficult sport. It’s both a team and a one-on-one sport that requires endurance, strength, and mental toughness,” said Matthew Lorio, MD, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery.

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CBS4 Denver

Colorado Doctor Hopes To Help Restore Sight of Man Who Went Blind

news outletCBS4 Denver
Publish DateFebruary 02, 2024

Kia Washington, MD, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, is hoping she can help a Colorado man who was blinded seven years ago.

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UCHealth

Janet Kukreja, MD, Outlines Key Kidney Cancer Research That Was Presented at This Year’s Society of Urologic Oncology Annual Meeting.

news outletUCHealth
Publish DateDecember 04, 2023

Janet Kukreja, MD, a University of Colorado School of Medicine urologic surgeon, is North America’s most prolific robotic cystectomist.

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The Denver Post

Children’s Hospital Colorado Needed 10 People To Donate Part of Their Livers to Sick Kids. More Than 100 Stepped Forward.

news outletThe Denver Post
Publish DateNovember 21, 2023

So many Coloradans responded to a call to donate pieces of their livers that Children’s Hospital Colorado expects every child in need of a transplant this year will get one.

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