South Australian Liver Transplant Unit’s 25th Anniversary

By Tom Paspaliaris

The South Australian Liver Transplant Unit, based at the Flinders Medical Centre, was established in 1992.

The Unit provides transplant services for SA and the Northern Territory. Clients with both acute and chronic liver failure are assessed for transplantation by the multidisciplinary Liver Transplant Unit staff. This is done at both at an inpatient and outpatient level.

The Unit, which turns 25 in October 2017, is currently performing around 25 transplants a year.

During its 24+ years of operation to date, the SA Liver Transplant Unit has performed over 380 liver transplants, with the survival rates as good as, if not better than, other units around the world. Some patients are approaching their 20 years longevity post-transplant.

The waiting list is slowly getting longer, compared to what it was about 15 years ago. The waiting time is getting longer, too. There’s a significant shortage of organ donors, although SA has the highest per capital organ donor rate in Australia.

The first Liver Transplant recipient in SA in 1992, Mrs Anastasia (Tasia) Douvos, was aged 51 at the time.

To celebrate its 25-Year Anniversary, the family of the first liver transplant recipient (Mrs Tasia Douvos) are holding a Greek Dinner Dance/Fundraiser on Saturday 14th October 2017 (refer below for details).