Holguín Working to Resume Liver Transplant Operations
- Written by Lourdes Pichs Rodríguez
- Published in Health
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Dr. Eloida Areces Pérez, Territorial Transplant Coordinator, explains the results of the activity. Photos: Eyris CruzThe province of Holguin is working along with the Public Health Ministry (Minsap), to resume the liver transplant surgery in the second semester of this year, as a strategy to benefit a greater number of patients required of treatment in the eastern region of Cuba. This was assessed during analysis of the results of the organ and tissue transplant service in the province, chaired by Dr. Antonio Enamorado Casanova, head of the Minsap Transplant Program.
This surgical procedure was first introduced in Holguin by Dr. José Lorenzo Díaz more than two decades ago, but was interrupted due to limitations imposed by the special period and today, although there are some restrictions with certain equipment and instruments, there is a political will to support the procedure.
In this regard, Dr. Neyla Santiesteban Collado, member of the Multidisciplinary Transplant Team at the Lucía Íñiguez Landín Surgical Hospital, explained that the specialists are prepared to undertake these transplants, which are only being performed in three health centers of Havana. "There’s still the logistics expected to be delivered by the Minsap, which is committed to complete this project.""If we start liver transplants in the first months of 2019, a greater number of patients from the five eastern provinces would benefit from this procedure, as is the case of kidney transplants."
When evaluating the results of the transplant activity of the province in 2017, it was known that there was a decrease in kidney transplants, with 31 cases, against 40 performed in 2016, specifically in deceased donors for different reasons.
In addition, two bone marrow transplants and 28 corneal transplants were performed, two more than the previous year.
At present, 553 patients from the provinces of Holguín, Granma and Las Tunas are receiving hemodialysis treatment, of which more than 130 are eligible to receive kidney transplantation.
