Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is hosting the 26th annual meeting of the Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation (SPLIT), a multidisciplinary, multicenter consortium focused on optimizing outcomes in pediatric liver transplantation through research, advocacy and dissemination of best practices in the field. Taking place on September 22 – 24 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport Beach, California, the conference will feature four CHLA presenters from multiple divisions – Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; General Pediatric Surgery; and Anesthesiology Critical Care.
“As a founding member of the Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles remains dedicated to working alongside centers around the world to improve the outcomes for children receiving liver transplants,” says Rohit Kohli, MBBS, MS, Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and local host physician of the SPLIT 2022 Annual Meeting. “We relish the opportunity to come together with our esteemed colleagues to share perspectives and key learnings on the full continuum of care for children who require liver transplants: from diagnosis to post transplant recovery.”
One of the featured presentations will be by Andrew Costandi, MD, MMM, Anesthesiology Director of Abdominal Organ Transplantation and Radiology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Under his leadership, CHLA pioneered the concept of fast-tracking in pediatric liver transplant patients and developed the first nationwide “Enhanced Recovery After Liver Transplantation” (ERAL) protocol, which has shortened ICU stays post-transplant from an average of 7-9 days to 3-4.
The Liver Transplant Program at CHLA is one of the largest pediatric liver transplant programs in the United States—performing more than 445 liver transplants in children since 1998. One third of those organs have come from living donors, making the program a national leader in pediatric living donor liver transplantation. Living transplants have been linked to better outcomes, especially in children. Last year, the team at CHLA published a global study showing that children with living donor organs have half the risk of dying—and half the rejection—compared with those who receive cadaveric livers. Living donation also allows children to get a lifesaving new organ much sooner. Because of CHLA’s strength in living donation, the program’s median wait time to transplant is approximately 2.6 months, compared with the regional average wait time of 30.5 months and 13.5 months nationally.
The Liver Transplant Program is part of CHLA’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, which is ranked No. 6 in Gastroenterology and GI Surgery on the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals. The Division is renowned for its comprehensive approach to caring for young patients with gastrointestinal, liver and nutritional disorders and for its leading research program.
The SPLIT 2022 Annual Meeting program schedule featuring CHLA experts is as follows. Media interviews can be arranged by emailing media@chla.usc.edu.
Reducing the Waitlist, Surgical Techniques for the Smallest Infants
Yuri Genyk, MD, Chief of the Division of Abdominal Organ Transplantation and Surgical Director of Liver Transplant
September 22, 2022 8:10 – 8:35 a.m.
Fast Tracking and Implementation of Enhanced Recovery After Liver Transplantation (ERAL) Protocol
Andrew Costandi, MD, MMM, Anesthesiology Director of Abdominal Organ Transplantation and Radiology
September 22, 2022 10:30 – 10:55 a.m.
Parenteral Nutritional Before and Improved Outcomes After
Beth Carter, MD, Medical Director of Liver Transplant and Medical Director of the Intestinal Rehabilitation and Nutrition Support Program
September 22, 2022 1:30 – 1:55 p.m.
Fontan Associated Liver Disease – How to Screen? When to Treat?
Juliet Emamaullee, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS, Research Director of the Division of Abdominal Organ Transplantation
September 22, 2022 1:55 – 2:20 p.m.
About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of pediatric medicine, offering acclaimed care to children from across the world, the country and the greater Southern California region. Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is the largest provider of care for children in Los Angeles County, the No. 1 pediatric hospital in the Pacific region and California, and among the top 10 in the nation on U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals. Clinical expertise spans the pediatric care continuum for newborns to young adults, from everyday preventive medicine to the most advanced cases. Inclusive, kid- and family-friendly clinical care is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and proven discoveries reach patients faster through The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles—among the top 10 children’s hospitals for National Institutes of Health funding. The hospital also is home to the largest pediatric residency training program at a freestanding children’s hospital in the western United States. To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, and visit our blog at CHLA.org/blog.
