En bloc Liver/Kidney Transplant: Trevion’s Story
Meet Trevion
When you see 13-year-old Trevion goofing around with his dad and sisters and playing basketball with his friends, you would never know that he recently had a double organ transplant to replace his liver and kidney. “I’m just a happy person,” Trevion, who goes by Tre, said. “I ain’t never been down. I’ve always been a happy and fun person. When I come around, I make the fun!”
Tre was the first Children’s Mercy Kansas City patient to receive an en bloc liver/kidney transplant. “En bloc” describes a type of transplant surgery where two organs from one donor are transplanted at the same time, with connecting blood vessels intact. “For the right candidate, en bloc is the best approach,” said Bhargava Mullapudi, MD, Division Director of Transplant Surgery and Co-Director of the Brendan Tripp Elam Transplant Center. “Patients are intubated for less time, it decreases the time the kidney is on ice and is a quicker recovery. So for selected patients, it streamlines everything.”
In a traditional double organ transplant surgery, each organ essentially requires its own procedure. The kidney is on ice for several hours while the recipient gets the liver and stabilizes enough for a second incision to place the kidney later that day. The en bloc technique reduces some of the risk factors for patients who need both organs at once and represents a significant step forward in transplant surgery techniques.
“Anytime you can minimize your surgical connection points, you increase your chance of success,” said Richard Hendrickson, MD, FAAP, FACS, Surgical Director of Transplantation, who works in tandem with Dr. Mullapudi on many transplant surgeries, including Tre’s. “Dr. Mullapudi and I see things in the same way. We know what each other’s next move is going to be without even saying it. We’ll do en bloc procedures as often as we can if we have the right patient.”
Tre’s father, Robert, recalled what a long journey it had been to get to the point of transplant. “We knew since the day he was born that he had polycystic kidney disease, and about two years ago, we found out he would need a liver transplant, too,” said Robert. “We knew [a transplant] was coming, and we were just waiting, but when we got the call, it was go time! You’re excited, you’re emotional at the same time, but once we got to Children’s Mercy, everything settled down.”
Robert credits the surgeons and everyone on Tre’s team for his successful surgery and recovery. “People here are just sincere about their jobs,” he shared. “They do their thing, and we appreciate it. Every time I see them, I tell them I appreciate them.” Tre takes an active part in his own health care by listening closely during his appointments and asking questions to make sure he understands. “He took this situation as seriously as we did,” Robert emphasized. “He has that positive mindset, and that makes a big difference.”
Tre exceeded everyone’s expectations by punching his discharge ticket just 13 days after his en bloc procedure. His transplant team and his family credit his unflappable, positive attitude as a huge part of his rapid recovery from a major surgery. “We always tell him, if your mindset is right, everything else falls into place,” Robert shared. “Trevion takes a challenge, and he just does it. He wants to get back to [in-person] school, and he knows what he needs to do.” Dr. Hendrickson agreed: “Tre’s demeanor, his happiness — he’s just a tremendous patient. A lot of that is the support of his family. A great family and a great kid will lead to great results.”
Tre is loving some of the perks of post-transplant life, like getting to eat foods he wasn’t able to have before due to his kidney condition. “I love peanut butter,” he shared. Although he’s in virtual school right now, he hopes to be back in the building with his friends soon, working toward his dream of owning his own business or being a basketball coach. As far as the impact on their family, Robert sums it up well: “This is the best thing that could have happened to us. We are blessed.”