University Communications

Spring 1998
To Save Two Lives
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“Dr. Busuttil?” a nurse says.

“What?”

“The liver should be here at 7:45.”

At 7:35, disco music is playing, but the mood is tense. Busuttil has both hands inside Andrew now, one wielding the cauterizing tool.

At 8:10, Dr. John Goss enters the operating room. Andrew’s new liver has arrived from Riverside by air ambulance. Busuttil calls out to Goss: “We’ve got to do a little bit of work here.”

Goss opens the cooler and inspects the liver, which is cradled in ice. He and another surgeon sit at a small metal table in the corner and stitch the hepatic vein of the donor liver using blue-green thread.

Busutill and Steadman are at a critical juncture in the surgery. Their voices become urgent.

“I think he’s hypobulimic,” (CK spelling on hypobulemic) says the surgeon.

“Yeah.”

Steadman hooks a syringe full of blood into an IV line to transfuse Andrew.

“I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Busuttil is becoming agitated. He almost has the liver out, but needs a certain instrument. He turns to Goss.

“John, do me a favor, get me a clamp. It’s crucial. How’re we doing, Randy?”

“He’s 85.”

“Give me a 6.0, please.”

The music is silent now. Blood pours into plastic cylinders from the IV lines connected to Andrew.

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