Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute today confirmed that Apple CEO Steve Jobs received a liver transplant.
Here is the statement from Methodist Healthcare, verbatim:
James D. Eason, M.D., program director at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute and chief of transplantation confirmed today, with the patient’s permission, that Steve Jobs received a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in partnership with the University of Tennessee in Memphis.
Mr. Jobs underwent a complete transplant evaluation and was listed for transplantation for an approved indication in accordance with the Transplant Institute policies and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) policies.
He received a liver transplant because he was the patient with the highest MELD score (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) of his blood type and, therefore, the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time a donor organ became available. Mr. Jobs is now recovering well and has an excellent prognosis.
The Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute performed 120 liver transplants in 2008 making it one of the ten largest liver transplant centers in the United States. We provide transplants to patients regardless of race, sex, age, financial status, or place of residence. Our one year patient and graft survival rates are among the best in the nation and were a dominant reason in Mr. Jobs’s choice of transplant centers. We respect and protect every patient’s private health information and cannot reveal any further information on the specifics of Mr. Jobs’s case.
Source: Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Jim Goldman reports for CNBC, “Two sources at Apple told me tonight that both Jobs and the hospital were facing increased criticism that Jobs used his wealth and status to secure the donated liver. The Wall Street Journal, which broke this story, raised the issue in its Friday evening coverage that there might be a perception that Jobs state-shopped, looking for the shortest wait-list for a liver transplant. In fact, in March when we were chasing this story, I spoke with one of the top liver transplant surgeons in the world who remained skeptical that Jobs would choose the facility in Memphis.”
“These sources say the same charges were leveled against Methodist University Hospital. And after a while, both the hospital and Jobs decided it was best to come forward to mitigate the criticism,” Goldman reports. “For the famously private Jobs, allowing the hospital to release this statement shows just how serious the criticism was, how loud the complaints had become, and how deeply they were felt by both hospital officials and Mr. Jobs himself, a source told me.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Did you know that each organ and tissue donor saves or improves the lives of as many as 50 people? Each day, about 77 people receive organ transplants. However, 19 people die each day waiting for transplants that can’t take place because of the shortage of donated organs. Giving the “Gift of Life” may lighten the grief of the donor’s own family. Many donor families say that knowing other lives have been saved helps them cope with their tragic loss. More info about organ and tissue donation can be found here: OrganDonor.gov
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