Health

Methodist University Hospital confirms Steve Jobs had Transplant

by Amy Judd | June 23, 2009 at 05:46 pm

198 views | 24 Recommendations | 5 comments

Methodist University Hospital has confirmed tonight that Apple CEO Steve Jobs had a liver transplant at the hospital.

James D. Eason, M.D from the hospital released a statement:

“I am pleased to confirm today, with the patient's permission, that Steve Jobs received a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in partnership with the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Mr. Jobs underwent a complete transplant evaluation and was listed for transplantation for an approved indication in accordance with the Transplant Institute policies and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) policies. He received a liver transplant because he was the patient with the highest MELD score (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) of his blood type and, therefore, the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time a donor organ became available. Mr. Jobs is now recovering well and has an excellent prognosis.

The hospital performed 120 liver transplants in 2008 and is one of the ten largest liver transplant centers in the United States. They will not release any more information on the subject.

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L-S (not verified)

at 18:13 on June 23rd, 2009

although I'm a fan of Steve Jobs it's hard to accept that he'll ever return to Apple with the same energy and capacity as he did before. A liver transplant is a major life changing operation that will still require a life time of drugs and hospital treatment.

I have had friends who had kidney transplants, a much smaller op than a liver, but they still spent many hours visiting hospitals for treatment.

I don't see how Steve Jobs could run Apple anymore.

Also, in the back of my mind is a question as how he got a liver so quickly? I guess money talks!

Amy Judd

at 19:21 on June 23rd, 2009

Good question - this is the info I found on that:

Hospital: Steve Jobs received transplant because he was the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time the donor organ became available

L-S (not verified)

at 19:42 on June 23rd, 2009

Amy, that may be so, but in the undercurrents I think position and money probably played a part. If stem cell research was sufficiently advanced, a patient may be able to grow a new liver without the need for a life time of drug therapy.

I wonder if the liver was human or pig?