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American Morning
House Call: Triple Kidney Transplant Successful; Link Between Sunscreen, Skin Cancer
Aired August 04, 2003 - 09:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Synchronized surgery. Six patients involved in what's believed to be the world's first-ever triple kidney transplant. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at the CNN Center in Atlanta now to tell us more.
Sanjay, this is an incredible story. I think part of it is that when each patient showed up to have their transplant, they had a donor in mind, didn't match, and then they just chose somebody else's donor who had come along and it all worked out.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Sort of a massive game of "Concentration" if you will, medical concentration.
A woman from Miami, a woman from Pittsburgh, a teenager from Maryland, as you mentioned, all on dialysis, all in need of a kidney transplant, and had donors with them, even, but the donors didn't match.
So what they -- this process actually started back in October. So it wasn't something that happened overnight, but over time, rather. Doctors started to realize that these various donors actually matched various recipients. Take a look at this graphic here. We actually have a graphic of all of the various recipients and donors.
And I'll tell you, this was sort of over an 11-hour period, this synchronized operation. Julia and Jeremy friends, Jeremy is a teenager. Connie and Tracy sisters. And then Paul and Germaine are engaged.
Julia's kidney ended up going to Tracy, Connie's to Germaine, and finally Paul's to Jeremy. That was exactly what happened. That's how the transplant essentially ended up taking place.
They have to do these all at the same time, Heidi. So it's sort of a long process, 11 hours, again, on the same day, almost synchronized operations. They have to make sure everyone is in the hospital and no one shows up late and all that sort of stuff. But it turns out that they're all doing well several days now after the operation.
Important to point out as well, Heidi, 55,000 people or so on the waiting list for a kidney. About 3,000 to 5,000 will die every year, about 14,000 kidney transplants done. Clearly most of those 55,000 people are waiting in vain. And that in part is why this story is so remarkable as well. Doctors, really the nurse managers all say the transplant team really coordinating this and putting this all together -- Heidi.
COLLINS: It is certainly quite a story out of Baltimore. Thanks so much for that, Sanjay.
I want to turn the corner just quickly. Understanding that there's another story on sun protection. Is it actually possible that if you use sunscreen you are increasing your risk for skin cancer?
GUPTA: Well, you know it's interesting. We've got to be really careful here. And this was based on a study that came out of out of the National Cancer Institute. And I don't think anybody is saying that sunscreens actually cause cancer, but two things it might happen.
One is that people who use sunscreen stay out in the sun longer and are also more predisposed to getting sunburns as a result. And number two, they may not be putting the sun screen on appropriately. Any kind of sunburn, any kind of suntan really reflects skin damage and possibly a link to skin cancer.
So, be careful with that, even if you are putting the sunscreen on -- Heidi.
HAYNES: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, nice to see you. Thanks so much, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Good to see you. Take care.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Between Sunscreen, Skin Cancer>
Aired August 4, 2003 - 09:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Synchronized surgery. Six patients involved in what's believed to be the world's first-ever triple kidney transplant. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at the CNN Center in Atlanta now to tell us more.
Sanjay, this is an incredible story. I think part of it is that when each patient showed up to have their transplant, they had a donor in mind, didn't match, and then they just chose somebody else's donor who had come along and it all worked out.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Sort of a massive game of "Concentration" if you will, medical concentration.
A woman from Miami, a woman from Pittsburgh, a teenager from Maryland, as you mentioned, all on dialysis, all in need of a kidney transplant, and had donors with them, even, but the donors didn't match.
So what they -- this process actually started back in October. So it wasn't something that happened overnight, but over time, rather. Doctors started to realize that these various donors actually matched various recipients. Take a look at this graphic here. We actually have a graphic of all of the various recipients and donors.
And I'll tell you, this was sort of over an 11-hour period, this synchronized operation. Julia and Jeremy friends, Jeremy is a teenager. Connie and Tracy sisters. And then Paul and Germaine are engaged.
Julia's kidney ended up going to Tracy, Connie's to Germaine, and finally Paul's to Jeremy. That was exactly what happened. That's how the transplant essentially ended up taking place.
They have to do these all at the same time, Heidi. So it's sort of a long process, 11 hours, again, on the same day, almost synchronized operations. They have to make sure everyone is in the hospital and no one shows up late and all that sort of stuff. But it turns out that they're all doing well several days now after the operation.
Important to point out as well, Heidi, 55,000 people or so on the waiting list for a kidney. About 3,000 to 5,000 will die every year, about 14,000 kidney transplants done. Clearly most of those 55,000 people are waiting in vain. And that in part is why this story is so remarkable as well. Doctors, really the nurse managers all say the transplant team really coordinating this and putting this all together -- Heidi.
COLLINS: It is certainly quite a story out of Baltimore. Thanks so much for that, Sanjay.
I want to turn the corner just quickly. Understanding that there's another story on sun protection. Is it actually possible that if you use sunscreen you are increasing your risk for skin cancer?
GUPTA: Well, you know it's interesting. We've got to be really careful here. And this was based on a study that came out of out of the National Cancer Institute. And I don't think anybody is saying that sunscreens actually cause cancer, but two things it might happen.
One is that people who use sunscreen stay out in the sun longer and are also more predisposed to getting sunburns as a result. And number two, they may not be putting the sun screen on appropriately. Any kind of sunburn, any kind of suntan really reflects skin damage and possibly a link to skin cancer.
So, be careful with that, even if you are putting the sunscreen on -- Heidi.
HAYNES: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, nice to see you. Thanks so much, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Good to see you. Take care.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Between Sunscreen, Skin Cancer>
