Pious X senior gets first heart-liver transplant performed at UNMC

Lincoln Journal Star | Margaret Reist

A picture of Kathryn Slattery snapped just before the first heart-liver transplant at the University of Nebraska Medical Center says it all, the patient's smile overshadowing her illness and the uncertainty and the hours to come in the operating room.

"She's just a spark of inspiration," said Pius X guidance counselor Jan Frasier, describing the photo taken Wednesday before Kathryn was wheeled to the operating room. "She's a joyful girl."

She's also the first patient at UNMC to receive a heart-liver transplant, a rare dual operation done only 10 to 15 times a year nationwide, said Kathryn's dad, Jim Slattery. The hospital has done other dual transplants, he said, but Kathryn's case is the first time doctors have attempted the heart and liver.

"She's doing wonderful," her dad said Thursday afternoon. "They took the ventilator out earlier today. It's been a busy 24 hours and she is bouncing back nicely."
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