Infant Receives Liver, Intestine in Rare Surgery

A 3-year-old girl received a transplanted liver and small intestine today in a rare operation that lasted nearly 14 hours.

Tracey Kay Gonzales of Corpus Christi, Tex., was in critical condition and breathing with the help of a respirator in the intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital following the surgery, said hospital spokeswoman Sue Cardillo. The operation began at 5:25 p.m. Monday and ended at about 7:10 a.m. today.

“Everybody seems to feel it went fairly well,” Cardillo said. “It will be at least a week before doctors are able to form any type of prognosis, if then.”

She said the next three days will be especially critical, and doctors will watch closely to see if the organs are functioning properly and are free of infection.

Tracey needed the double transplant because of a condition called short gut syndrome, Cardillo said. Her liver was damaged by a high-protein liquid she was fed intravenously since birth.

“A child with short gut syndrome has no way to absorb nutrition,” Cardillo said. “There isn’t enough intestine there to do any good. Her skin is very yellow from the liver damage.”

Small intestine transplants have a poor success rate. Since 1983, three adults and three children have died within a year of their surgeries at Pittsburgh hospitals.