MANILA, Philippines – The Medical City announced the first successful pediatric liver transplant Monday performed by an all-Filipino team of doctors.
A three-year old girl who suffered from End-Stage liver disease with complications was the first pediatric patient who benefited from the expertise of the newly established Center for Liver Disease Management and Transplantation of the Medical City.
Charity patient Catherine Erica Buenaventura and her parents have been to several hospitals seeking treatment before she finally met liver transplant surgeon Dr. Vanessa H. de Villa and was referred to The Medical City.
According to hospital experts, the child suffered from complications by portal hypertension, an increase in blood pressure in a system of veins within the stomach, intestine, spleen and pancreas. Erica also suffered from malnutrition and bleeding in the veins around the esophagus.
Through the generosity of her uncle, 18-year old Jefferson Llantino, Erica underwent two operations starting at 7 a.m. on January 7.
Erica’s diseased liver was removed entirely before she received a graft or a portion of her uncle’s liver.
The whole procedure ended at 2:30 a.m. on January 8 and physical therapy sessions began on January 12. In January 18, the feeding tubes were removed.
Today, Erica is feeding normally and she is on her way to full recovery.
“Even when things seemed really difficult, we never lost our faith in God. We knew that He would guide us in this,” Carmela Buenaventura told the press in a conference at the hospital Monday.
Dr. De Villa said they are now working on giving the child full nutrition because at her age, she weighs only 10 kilograms.
The team of doctors who performed the procedure include surgeons Dr. Allan Concejero, Dr. Dante Ang, Dr. Catherine Asedillo, and Dr. Anthony Yap; anesthesiologists Dr. Grace Herbosa, Dr. Celine Ancheta, Dr. Alexandra Odi, Dr. Elena Malong, Dr. Elke Sauz, and Dr. Rolan Carreon.
The medical team was composed of pediatric gastroenterologists Dr. Karen Calixto-Mercado, Dr. Janus Ong, Dr. Eternity Labio, and Jean Guno, among others.
The successful operation was performed through the help of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) which provided P1.25 million for the liver transplant.
The liver transplant procedure amounted to P 3 million, said Dr. Alfredo Bengzon, president and Chief Executive Officer of The Medical City, who described the operation as “a landmark achievement.”
De Villa said that Erica will take lifelong medications, immuno-suppressive drugs that will help her body to respond better to her new liver by suppressing the body’s reactions against a foreign body.
Her medications will be adjusted as she ages and regular medical surveillance is also needed, De Villa noted.
As for the liver donor, De Villa said the liver regenerates and it goes back to pre-donation size in one or two months.
Meanwhile, Margie Juico, PCSO chief, pledged an education grant to 18-year old donor Jefferson.
Liver disease is a common illness in the country affecting both children and adults. Among adults, the culprits are chronic hepatitis B infection, alcoholic liver disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Among children, one of the causes is Biliary Atresia, a disease of the bile ducts, the tube-like structures that carry the enzymes for digestion.
This is not the first liver transplant in the country. De Villa said a number of liver transplant procedures have been performed in the past although only a few survived long after the operation.
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