HEART
ORGANS – HEART
C-positive donor . It is part of a new organ transplant program available at UAB where doctors safely transplant organs from hepatitis C-positive donors into uninfected recipients and cure the hepatitis C with antiviral therapy . The program originally began with liver and kidney transplants but has now expanded to include heart and lung transplants .
“ With so many people in need of an organ transplant , this program allows us to use perfectly functioning organs to offer our
Colin Tucker patients improved quality of life ,” says José Tallaj , MD , medical director of UAB ’ s Heart Transplant Program . “ Now that the treatment for hepatitis C is simple , extremely effective and needed for only a short period of time , organs from donors with hepatitis C are a great option for patients like Mr . Tucker , who had been waiting for a long time to get an organ .”
Organ size , donor location and medical urgency are a few of the factors that UNOS considers in determining heart allocation . Tucker , who is 6 feet , 6 inches tall , performed well with the VAD and was able to participate in a 10K and a 12K race while on the device . Tucker ’ s height and great performance on the device led to a 28-month waiting period for a heart .
“ When I got the VAD , I had to make a personal choice to not let it keep me from living my life ,” Tucker says . “ I live in a coastal town and had to give up some of the hobbies I loved , like fishing , swimming , boating and even some traveling , because of the VAD . This was difficult ; but I was not sure when a heart would become available , so I adjusted to this new way of life the best I could .”
Tucker ’ s wait finally came to an end when he received a call from UAB in October 2020 and was asked whether he would be willing to receive an organ from a hepatitis C-positive donor . He agreed and received his new heart the next day .
“ When I received the call about the heart , they told me it came from a hepatitis C donor and explained to me how my risk of getting hepatitis C was extremely low ,” Tucker says . “ It was no longer a question of whether or not it was safe ; it was a question of how soon I could get it . This was the only call I had received about a donor heart in two years , and here I am now , almost a year later , and doing fantastic .”
Patients who agree to receive a hepatitis C-positive organ begin their antiviral medications the day of their transplant surgery and remain on this medication for eight to 12 weeks . After the medication is complete , they will attend routine checkups .
Each UAB transplant patient has responded well to the therapy since the program began in 2019 .
“ Hepatitis C is a curable disease , and the antiviral therapy has proved to be more than 95 percent effective in preventing potential infection ,” Dr . Tallaj says . “ This program is safe , it is effective , and it might decrease someone ’ s waiting time because it opens the donor pool to a greater number of people . We want to ensure that all of our patients experience a good quality of life , and this program is a way to do that .”
34 UAB CTI Report