Hospital Confirms Steve Jobs Liver Transplant

June 24th, 2009 at 7:58 AM - News by Jeff Gamet

Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, Tennessee, put to rest questions about Steve Jobs's liver transplant late on Tuesday with a confirmation that the facility performed the operation, and that Mr. Jobs is recovering nicely.

James D. Eason, M.D., Program Director at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute, commented "Steve Jobs received a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in partnership with the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Mr. Jobs underwent a complete transplant evaluation and was listed for transplantation for an approved indication in accordance with the Transplant Institute policies and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) policies."

Dr. Eason said that Mr. Jobs underwent the surgery when he did because he ranked highest on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) for his blood type, making him the sickest patient on the organ donor waiting list.

The hospital didn't release information about when the transplant was performed, or where the donor organ came from. Reports surfaced on late on June 19, however, that Mr. Jobs underwent surgery about two months ago.

Mr. Jobs announced in January that he was taking a six-month leave of absence for health reasons. He had been recovering from pancreatic cancer and was losing weight. He is due back at work by the end of June, and on Monday was apparently spotted on Apple's Cupertino campus.

The hospital also confirmed that it confirmed the liver transplant with Mr. Jobs's permission. Dr. Eason added "Mr. Jobs is now recovering well and has an excellent prognosis."