University Transplant Center is a partnership between University Hospital and the UT Health Science Center.
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Contact: Will Sansom, 210-567-2579

SAN ANTONIO (May 5, 2011) — Larry Franklin, a U.S. Air Force veteran who lives in Schertz, recently became the 40th person in one year to receive a lung transplant from the University Transplant Center.

Franklin’s lifesaving surgery also marks the 403rd lung transplant since the center — a partnership of the University Health System and the UT Health Science Center San Antonio — began performing this complex procedure in 1987.

No longer tied to an oxygen machine, Franklin is excited that he and his wife will have the chance to visit friends in Germany again, where he served a 4½-year tour of duty. “Before the transplant, I could walk maybe 20 feet without sitting down,” he said. “I just left pulmonary rehab, where I walked 20 minutes on the treadmill with no oxygen. Actually it was 23 minutes, but who’s counting.”

As the name implies, the University Transplant Center is an academic partnership, with transplants performed on adult patients at University Hospital by physicians from UT Medicine San Antonio, the faculty practice of the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center.

Life-threatening conditions
The significance of the lung transplant procedure, especially for the 40 patients who received it over the 12-month period, is not fully appreciated without considering the complex clinical challenges of this type of transplantation.

Franklin and other patients had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a thickening, stiffening and scarring of the lungs over time.

Of these 40 patients, three-fourths underwent transplants of both lungs. Three could not breathe on their own before the transplants and had been on artificial life support with ventilators.

Most of the patients had at least some, if not severe, pulmonary hypertension, which is increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries. Changes in these arteries make it difficult for the heart to push blood through them and into the lungs to pick up oxygen. Pressure in the arteries rises. The heart’s right ventricle, which pumps blood to the pulmonary arteries, becomes strained.

“In short, Drs. Angel and Johnson and the team transplanted some very sick patients who simply could not breathe. Despite such severely compromised lung-transplant recipients, the team’s survival rate in these critically ill patients was 92 percent,” said John H. Calhoon, M.D., of UT Medicine San Antonio, professor and chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the School of Medicine.

Franklin, who had his transplant procedure in February, returns to the University Transplant Center on Tuesdays for follow-ups. So far the doctors have lowered his medications every time. “They say with time, the medications will keep going down and the blood sugar and blood pressure will go down,” Franklin said. “My diet will go back to semi-normal. Now it is just follow what the docs at the University Transplant Center tell me to do and be a good boy. They keep a close eye on you. I’m really impressed.”

Strong team with strong history
Experience, combined with a rigorous academic environment, is the key to the center’s success. “Our program has a tradition of commitment for our patients that is well recognized by them and their referring physicians,” said Luis F. Angel, M.D., of UT Medicine San Antonio. He is medical director of the lung transplant program.

Dr. Angel and Deborah Jo Levine, M.D., were the pulmonologists (lung care specialists) on Franklin’s case. Daniel DeArmond, M.D., assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery, performed the transplant with Scott Johnson, M.D., associate professor, head of the Division of General Thoracic Surgery and surgical director of the lung transplant program. All are UT Medicine San Antonio physicians.

The team is building on a legacy of achievement. In 1989 the center became the first in North America to do a single-lung transplant for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, a group of lung diseases that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Later the team was the first to do a single-lung transplant for pulmonary hypertension.

Larry Franklin (center) and his wife, Dee, thank Luis F. Angel, M.D., (right) of UT Medicine San Antonio, who is medical director of the lung transplant program at the University Transplant Center.

New lung and new plans
Franklin, who is 68, is thriving with his new left lung, and he has a lot of plans. On March 27 Franklin and his wife, Dee, celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary and he vowed to return to Germany soon to see friends. The last time they were there was 2004, three years before his lung problems began.

“Being in the military I worked with a lot of professionals,” he said. “I was really impressed with University Transplant Center. They all worked together. I would recommend them to anybody.”

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The University Transplant Center is a 2008 and 2009 Medal of Honor recipient from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and achieves patient outcomes exceeding national averages for kidney, liver and lung transplantation.

University Health System, owned by the people of Bexar County, is a nationally recognized academic medical center. In partnership with the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, it is consistently recognized as a leader in advanced treatment options, new technologies and clinical research.

UT Medicine San Antonio is the clinical practice of the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. With more than 700 doctors ― all faculty members from the School of Medicine ― UT Medicine San Antonio is the largest medical practice in Central and South Texas, with expertise in more than 60 different branches of medicine. Primary care doctors and specialists see patients in private practice at UT Medicine’s clinical home, the Medical Arts & Research Center (MARC), located in the South Texas Medical Center at 8300 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio 78229. Most major health plans are accepted, and there are clinics and physicians at several local and regional hospitals, including CHRISTUS Santa Rosa, University Hospital and Baptist Medical Center. Call 210-450-9000 to schedule an appointment, or visit www.UTMedicine.org for a complete listing of clinics and phone numbers.