USC has highest death rates

[Guest guest]

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2006 - The

liver transplant program at USC University

Hospital in Los

Angeles has one of the nation's highest death rates,

with twice as many patients as expected dying after their surgeries, it was

reported Thursday…….

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local & id=4361790

Barb

in Texas - Together in the Fight, Whatever it Takes!

Son

Ken (32) UC 91 - PSC 99

[Guest guest]

Interesting article, thanks very much for

posting it, Barb.

I’d like to say this, if I may…

before anyone in the group freaks out (who perhaps may have close ties to USC (perhaps

they are listed there for transplant?), for those who read this article and are

shocked at the media spin, calm down:

I agree totally with Dr. Selby’s quotes near the end. I do not say this because USC in Los Angeles happens to be where Jim was txd back on 12/07/01

(that location at the insistence of his then insurance company, who wanted us

to remain in California

for the surgery). I’m not biased in favor of USC, truly. I’ve

been up front in this group about several

issues I’ve (we’ve) encountered there. But if faced with the

decision again of where to go for adult-to-adult living donor liver transplant,

I can say with confidence that if we had to do it all over again, under our

circumstances back at the time, with us being in San Diego county, well… we

would go with USC, again, in a heartbeat. The surgeons there are nothing

short of brilliant, even if there’s one of them with whom I do not happen

to get along, lol.

That being said, we’d do best –

there at USC, or at ANY transplant center, anywhere – to be the best darned medical advocate we possibly,

possibly can. And if we’re too ill to advocate for

ourselves, then we get someone darned good to act on our behalf. For

instance, wherever and whenever Barb’s Ken is ultimately

transplanted? I KNOW he’s in darned good hands with his mom Barb as

his medical advocate. You can bank on it/her.

Statistics are a wickedly strange thing…

they can be skewed to make just about any case, so you have to be shrewd in how

you look at the big picture. That being said, I am sure USC will have

their hands VERY full with the fall-out from this article, dealing with some truly

fearful and skittish waitlisted people, for instance.

Thanks again for this post, Barb.

With love to the group,

Maureen (who will be following this post

with another. I fear Jim/we may just be facing a medical crisis, so I’m

about to unlurk… wait a sec, I just did!)

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Barb Henshaw

Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 7:10

AM

To: ; Subject: USC has highest

death rates

LOS ANGELES, July

13, 2006 - The liver transplant program at USC University

Hospital in Los Angeles

has one of the nation's highest death rates, with twice as many patients as

expected dying after their surgeries, it was reported Thursday…….

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local & id=4361790