“As soon as I walked in the door, I said our patients have to come here as soon as possible," said
McGowan Institute
faculty member George Mazariegos, MD (pictured), director of pediatric transplantation in the Hillman Center for Pediatric Transplantation at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Without The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center, transplant patients would have to stay longer at Children's or transfer to local hospitals that might not be able to assume very quickly the high level of medical care necessary following a transplant, he said.
The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center, established in 1893, is an independent, non-profit licensed organization that promotes the health and well-being of infants and children through services which establish and strengthen the family. It includes a 28-bed Pediatric Specialty Hospital - infant and pediatric units that provide short-term transitional care from hospital to home for those who are technology dependent and who may suffer from life threatening illnesses. The Pediatric Specialty Hospital offers a nurturing, home-like environment while empowering caregivers to become competent and confident in caring for their children. Its family-focused philosophy teaches families how to manage the needs of their medically fragile child and helps both parents and siblings adjust to new roles and responsibilities.
“I think the advantages [of the home] are it allows for increased patient and family interaction because the facility is set up to do that. Their staff is the same as it is at Children's Hospital and it allows continuity of care. It also frees up the acute hospital beds for kids more acute at Children's as well,” said Dr. Mazariegos.
Dr. Mazariegos is an active pediatric liver and intestinal transplant surgeon. His main clinical interests are focused on the care of pediatric patients who have liver and/or intestinal disease requiring transplantation. He also specializes on treatment of adult and pediatric patients who develop acute liver failure and who may require specialized liver support therapies until they recover or until donor organs are available.
Illustration: McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (10/22/08)
The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center
Bio: George Mazariegos, MD