“We have great camaraderie between anesthesiologists and surgeons and the whole operating room (OR) team.”
Left to right, front row: Gaurav Malhotra, Elizabeth Valentine, Gurmukh Sahota, Dmitri Bezinover
Back row: Kristen Burton (with my eyes closed), Dimitry Baranov, Eric Greenblatt
They’re the team within the team — meet the anesthesiologists of the Penn Transplant Institute’s liver transplant program. Together, they have more than 114 years of combined experience in this highly specialized field.
On call 24/7, these nine professionals see patients at every step of the liver transplant journey: from initial evaluation to the operating room to the critical care unit after transplant. At every step, their job is to keep patients safe, comfortable, and medically stable. These anesthesiologists are vital to the success of Penn’s multi-disciplinary liver transplant team.
Here, in their own words, is what they have to say about the work they do:
"Liver transplants are among the most hemodynamically, metabolically, and technically challenging surgeries from an anesthesia perspective. The hours can be difficult, but the cases give me significant professional fulfillment. It's immensely gratifying to wake patients up after a successful surgery, telling them ‘Open your eyes, you have a new liver! You did great!'"— Kristen Burton, MD
“I can vividly remember a particularly challenging pediatric case where, for a few terrible moments, I was worried the patient would not make it through the procedure and the difficult postoperative course. Several years later, the child’s parents sent us a thank you card with a picture of them attending the senior prom! It was, hands down, the most rewarding moment of my professional career — and why I do what I do.”— Elizabeth A. Valentine, MD, FASA
“Liver transplants are both the most difficult and rewarding work I do. I am exceptionally proud to be a member of this phenomenal group. They are always there to help when it’s most needed, be it clinical expertise in a complex case or an offer of relief to permit a rest and recharge amid a stretch of back-to-back transplants.”— Eric P. Greenblatt, MD
“We have great camaraderie between anesthesiologists and surgeons and the whole operating room (OR) team. I love seeing patients come back to the hospital for checkups months after transplant — they are often so much healthier that we barely recognize them.”— Emily Anne Vail, MD, MSc.
“I have a soft spot for the patients that are living liver donors. Over the years, I have seen donor/recipient combinations that are best friends, student-teacher, significant others, neighbors, and family members. I am always in awe. These are healthy patients who are here altruistically - no physical benefit to themselves - choosing to go through a major and complex operation. It is inspiring to take care of these patients.”— Gaurav Malhotra, MD
“With transplant, you always must be ready, and there is little margin for error. I really enjoy my job. I like the people I work with and the relationships we have in the operating room (OR) and intensive care unit (ICU). Don't tell anyone, but I really don't mind coming in at all hours to do these cases and work with this team.”— Andrew Gold, MD, MBS
“I’ve been involved in liver transplantation since 2001, first in Germany, and now in the U.S. Liver transplantation is a unique opportunity to give people a second chance at life. The change I see when someone gets a working liver is incredible. I had one patient with a very difficult course of disease and several complications after transplant and re-transplant. Two months later they returned looking vibrant and full of life — I didn’t even recognize that it was the same person.”— Dmitri Bezinover, MD