Duke Health

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.”

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. 

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.