Key points from today’s guests:

Tony Mazzeffe, kidney & liver transplant recipient

• First his kidney, then his liver, then his heart -- one by one, Tony’s organs were failing him.
• In 2007, he had a kidney removed and the second failed kidney led to a transplant.
• In 2014, he had a liver transplant.
• Later, he had a heart attack and needed a heart transplant. But due to his kidney issue, he was deemed too sick for a heart transplant.
• The option to save his life was an LVAD or left ventricular assist device, which keeps his heart beating today.
• Tony was able to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. He credits his friends and family for the support they have provided to him.
• He said the health system has now saved his life several times.

Dr. Hirak Shah, heart failure cardiologist, The University of Kansas Health System

• Organs don't work independently -- there is an ecosystem in the body and if one organ fails, others respond to it.
• In Tony's case, the liver and the kidney have interesting, intricate relationships, where if one fails, the other one usually doesn't do as well. And same with the heart and the kidney and the heart and the liver.
• Tony was critically ill and his case was even more difficult because he had organ transplantation.
• One of the benefits of the LVAD therapy is that it is something that we can do immediately. With a heart transplant, there is a waiting period, you have to find the right donor that has the right antibody mix and that has the right kind of makeup that can actually work in each individual's body and sometimes people don't have that time to wait.
• The LVAD is an option for many of those patients who are just too critically ill because you can put the pump in, restore normal blood flow to the rest of their body, and save their lives.
• Tony had two different procedures for LVAD – the second was to replace a device that caused a blood clot. This new device is a more current version with the latest technology.

Ashley Manning, R.N., LVAD coordinator, The University of Kansas Health System

• LVAD coordinators are the “go to” for the patients.
• We teach them and their family members how to manage and administer line meds.
• We provide a lot of emotional support and education. This is a huge lifestyle change and it can be overwhelming.
• This is the only institution in the entire state of Kansas that implants these pumps, so if patients have any issues, they call us for anything.
• There are options out there especially when you get to those end stages. As you can see with Tony, we have so many patients that get to have a life, so it's a really amazing therapy and I'm just really happy that we're able to help so many people like Tony.

Tuesday, July 23 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. More and more women in Kansas are facing long drives to deliver their babies. We’ll explore how far is too far for adequate prenatal and maternity care, and the challenges and solutions to ensure every mother receives the care she deserves.

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