Small bowel transplantation is suitable for patients with irreversible intestinal failure. Patients who have undergone partial small bowel resection due to ultrashort bowel syndrome, severe Crohn's disease, or ischemic necrosis, resulting in long-term dependence on total parenteral nutrition, and who have developed life-threatening complications such as progressive liver dysfunction, recurrent sepsis, or depletion of venous access, are eligible for transplantation.
The small bowel transplant care team combines expertise from surgery, internal medicine, infectious diseases, nutrition, pathology, pharmacy, imaging, immunology, critical care, and respiratory therapy to treat patients with small bowel failure. The team began animal experiments in 2005, completed the first small bowel transplant in China in 2007, and has continued research and innovation, performing small bowel transplants on ten patients by 2013.
First in China to successfully conduct human trials of small intestine transplantation
Performed the first successful small intestine transplant in China on October 27, 2007
Performed the first successful adult small intestine transplant in China on October 6, 2009
Integrated cross-disciplinary team (collaboration with departments of infectious diseases, immunology, etc.)
Standardized pre- and post-operative care procedures for small intestine transplantation
Continuous research and innovation related to small intestine transplantation
From 2007 to September 2013: Ten small bowel transplants were performed (the most cases among all small bowel transplant centers in Asia).
Average age: 26.3 ± 25.0 years (2 years to 64 years)
Child:Adult ratio: 7:3
Average weight: 38.0 ± 19.9 kg (10.7 to 66 kg)
Average waiting time: 342.3 ± 314.6 days
Postoperative discontinuation of total parenteral nutrition: 32.3 ± 2.9 days
Length of hospital stay: 46.6 ± 13.5 days
Surgical success rate: 100% (survival >30 days post-surgery)
Five-year cumulative survival rate: 80%, with the longest survival being nearly six years
Acute cellular rejection: 40%, 1 mild, 3 severe
Five-year graft survival rate: 70%
Animal experiments: A total of 10 pairs of porcine allogeneic small intestine transplants were performed, with 7 pairs (70%) surviving. The median survival was 31 days, the mean survival was 60.0 ± 56.2 days, and the longest survival was six months.
Monitor for bleeding two days post-surgery.
Monitor for venous thrombosis, infection, and reperfusion injury in the transplanted intestinal segment one week post-surgery.
Monitor for transplanted intestinal segment rejection three months post-surgery.
Acute cellular rejection: 40% (1 mild, 3 severe)
100% surgical success rate (survival >30 days post-surgery)
80% cumulative five-year patient survival rate
70% five-year graft survival rate
First in China to successfully conduct a human trial of small bowel transplantation
Most cases among all small bowel transplant centers in Asia (ten cases in total)
Compared to UCLA: 5-year patient survival rate 80% vs 65%, 5-year graft survival rate 70% vs 64%
Multiple SCI journal articles published
Participation in several international transplantation medicine conferences (World Society of Transplantation, American Society for Transplantation, International Society for Small Bowel Transplantation, etc.)
2006 World Society of Transplantation Young Scholar Award
May 28, 2012: Department of Health concludes human trials for small bowel transplantation.
June 1, 2012: Announcement of Small Bowel Transplantation Guidelines.
November 2012: Qualification for small bowel transplantation obtained by our team.
Promoted the development of small bowel transplantation in Taiwan, influencing related policy formulation.
Continued research on hypoxia and reperfusion injury, immune tolerance, and small bowel stem cells.
