Duke Health

Hepatitis B-Positive Liver Donations Offer New Transplant Option
People who have end-stage liver disease and are waiting for a transplant have a new life-saving option: receiving a liver from a hepatitis B-positive donor. The procedure is the same as for a traditional transplant, and afterward recipients take a daily medication to suppress an infection that might develop. “My patients who have received hep B-positive livers have no evidence of active infection,” said Carl Berg, MD, a transplant hepatologist at Duke Health, one of the few centers in the U.S. performing transplants with hepatitis B-positive livers. “The suppression is working well, and these patients are transplanted much faster than they would be otherwise.”

When Diabetic Neuropathy Made Him Miserable, A Spinal Cord Stimulator Got Him Back on His Feet
For Army veteran Kerry May, staying active has always been an important part of managing his diabetes. But worsening diabetic neuropathy -- nerve damage caused by high blood sugar levels -- made it incredibly painful for him to walk, let alone exercise. As part of a clinical trial at Duke, May, then 71, underwent a minimally invasive procedure to try a spinal cord stimulator. He was amazed by the results. “I expected pain relief. I did not expect as much pain relief as I got. And having done all the research, I knew it was going to last.” Now more than three years later, he’s walking miles a day, playing golf as often as possible, and encouraging others to consider spinal cord stimulation.

After Fontan Procedure, Duke’s Fontan Program Helps Kids Thrive
Children who undergo a series of heart operations to treat single ventricle heart defects can experience serious complications like organ failure later in life. The Fontan Program at Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center -- the only one in North Carolina and one of the few in the U.S. -- offers advanced care to identify problems early and help your child stay healthy as they grow.