Texas Children Medical Staff 'Tweets' During Kidney Transplant

Featured Slideshows

2009 Celebrity Deaths

E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Texas Staff 'Tweets' During Kidney Transplant

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

Recipient E-mail:*
- Your Name:*
- Your E-mail:*
Add a Message:
Send me a copy of this e-mail.

Type the characters in this picture:*

Click here to refresh with new letters

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

Print Share + Comments

May 18, 2009 8:00 pm US/Eastern

Texas Staff 'Tweets' During Kidney Transplant

Selena Hernandez
DALLAS (CBS) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 2: Staff members of Children's Medical Center in Texas used Twitter while working on a kidney transplant patient on May 18, 2009.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Click to enlarge 2 of 2: Chris Gilbreath and his son John.
childrens.com

Close

numSlides of totalImages

Related Links

KTVT-TV Local Coverage

Children's Medical Center of Dallas made history Monday. For the first-time ever, the hospital used the popular networking site Twitter to 'Tweet' during a kidney transplant. The hospital staff took note of every aspect of the labor-intensive procedure and blogged about it for the world, reports CBS station KTVT-TV in Dallas.

The extra set of hands in the operating room, when John Gilbreath, age 3, received a life saving kidney from his father, was there to post updates about the procedure on Twitter
The moments before surgery were very emotional for the Gilbreath family. "We've been waiting for this moment for several years and we can't believe it's finally here," explained John's mother, Amanda.

In a nearby waiting room Amanda and other members of the Gilbreath family waited anxiously, while they sat glued to a laptop computer. Then the entries began. "It's been great," Amanda said happily. "It's been nice to have these very frequent updates to know exactly what's going on; not only with my husband but also with my son."

The updates the mother and wife received were coming straight from inside the operating room. "Dr. Desai and Dr. Mitchell are scrubbing in and getting ready to make the first incision," read the Tweet posted around 10 a.m.

A play-by-play of the entire surgical procedure played out, in real-time, in "Twitterverse". The postings brought together modern medicine and the technology of the World Wide Web.

Amanda said having the Twitter updates every few minutes made the waiting easier for her. "I have not been on as many pins and needles as I thought I would've been; since I've been receiving the Tweets. So it's been great for me!"

"I could tell the anticipation she [Amanda] had every time a text message flashed on the screen," said nephrologist, Dr. Mouin Seikaly.

The transplant and the blogging were both a success.

One of the surgeon's, Dr. Dev M. Desai, M.D., was enthusiastic about using an interactive resource. "I think it's a new medium of communication," he explained. "So we'll be able to reach more people in our efforts to educate the public."

During the procedure Dr. Desai said he worked to try and make things clear for the Tweet postings. "I described what I was doing and where we were," he explained.

Officials with Children's Medical Center of Dallas said they decided to Tweet during the transplant to raise awareness about the importance of organ donations.

The Gilbreath operation was the hospital's 15th transplant this year. Medical officials say there are currently 20 other children waiting for a transplant.