2025 Annual Report

ADVANCEMENT & TECHNOLOGY

UAB AND CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA PERFORM SPLIT-LIVER TRANSPLANTATION

“This successful split-liver transplantation is a significant milestone and an important step toward expanding access for many more patients on our waitlist.”

Children’s of Alabama, in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Trans plantation , has successfully performed a rare split-liver transplantation. This marks the first use of this life-saving technique within the Children’s and UAB partnership in nearly a decade. Split-liver transplantation, a highly complex procedure, allows a single deceased-donor liver to be divided and transplanted into two recipients located at separate hospitals. This innovative approach expands access to life-saving organs, particularly for pediatric patients who depend on Children’s nationally recognized liver transplant program. The transplant was led by UAB Assistant Professors of Surgery, Saulat Sheikh, M.B.B.S., and Marcos Pozo Jatem, M.D., working alongside Children’s of Alabama’s multi disciplinary transplant teams . The operation required a coordinated effort across both institutions, incorporating advanced machine perfusion technology to preserve the donor liver and extensive logistical planning for the out-of-state donor operation. “This achievement represents the culmination of extensive preparation, education, and protocol development across multiple teams,” said Dr. Pozo Jatem, surgical director of the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program at Children’s of Alabama. “It involved close collaboration with Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU),

SAULAT SHEIKH, M.B.B.S.

hepatology, anesthesiology, pharmacy, nutrition, nephrology, and interventional radiology. It even resulted in the creation of a new intraoperative dialysis protocol to ensure this delicate procedure could be performed safely in critically ill patients.” Dr. Pozo recognized the contributions of several Children’s and UAB team members whose expertise was essential to the effort, including Meloneysa Hubbard, MSN, CRNP, CCTC, who secured the use of machine normothermic perfusion; patient care coordinators Robin Greer, MSN, CPNP, and Julia Roberson, CRNP; and transplant surgery OR team leader Shannetta Simon, RN. Additional key contributors from the partnership included David Willcutts, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and

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CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA | UAB MEDICINE