Specialists highlight importance of living liver donors

WESTON, Fla. – There are more than 17,000 people in the United States on a waiting list to receive a liver transplant but many don’t realize a living friend or family member could be their life-saver.

A team at the Cleveland Clinic Weston recently performed the hospital’s first live liver donor transplant operation involving a mother and daughter from Davie.

“A living donor transplant is a very high tech, complex procedure and definitely there is a lot of risk and not all hospitals like to take it but I think the most important thing is the community has to be aware,” said Dr. Antonio Pinna, director of the hospital’s abdominal transplant center.

Pinna said the portion of the liver that’s donated can regenerate and said the one living donor can actually save two lives.

“This a very good gift and it makes me emotional when I see, like in this case, the daughter donating back to the mother the life she was given when she was born,” Pinna said.

He added that the donor is typically back to normal liver function in a matter of a few weeks

Pets and sleep

A new study published in the journal Sleep Health found that kids who sleep with pets have the same quality of sleep as those who don’t, and even, in some cases, actually have better sleep quality.

The findings challenge commonly held beliefs about sharing the bed with four-legged friends.


About the Authors:

Veteran journalist Kathleen Corso is the special projects producer for Local 10 News.

Kristi Krueger has built a solid reputation as an award-winning medical reporter and effervescent anchor. She joined Local 10 in August 1993. After many years co-anchoring the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., Kristi now co-anchors the noon newscasts, giving her more time in the evening with her family.