Boy Who Received 2 Liver Transplants Back on Respirator
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PITTSBURGH — Seven-year-old Ronnie DeSillers, the Miami boy who underwent two liver transplants, was returned to a respirator Tuesday after he experienced breathing problems when the device was removed, his family said.
Doctors at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh turned off the respirator, allowing the child to breathe without assistance for the first time since his second transplant, April 3.
He remained in critical but stable condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit, said hospital spokeswoman Lynn McMahon.
The youth received a new liver Feb. 24, but a viral infection damaged it, prompting a search for another liver. His mother, Maria DeSillers, said a biopsy performed Monday shows the second donor liver appears to be functioning well and is infection-free.
Ronnie generated headlines in early February when medical funds raised by his classmates in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., were stolen. Countless Americans, including President Reagan, chipped in to help pay for the transplant.
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