Artery in Lucas Goeller's liver lost due to form of rejection, doctors seek next step

PITTSBURGH — The family of Lucas Goeller, a local 2-year-old who recently received a liver transplant, reported on Facebook that the main artery into his liver was lost due to a rare form of rejection that attacks blood vessels. 

Lucas underwent a procedure Saturday evening after receiving bad results from blood work, according to a post on the Save Lucas Facebook page Saturday afternoon.

The procedure involved getting a biopsy of the new liver to check for signs of rejection and blood flow.

“I'm having some challenges with my liver... some of the bloodwork went really high in a bad way. My medical team is going to test for three possibilities later this evening,” the post said.

Lucas was placed in the intensive care unit after the procedure, which determined that there is clotting in one of the main arteries of the liver, according to the Save Lucas page. The liver may be able to heal itself over time.

On Sunday, a Facebook post offered good news: although the artery is medically considered lost, the liver has started to create new vessels to supply blood.

Doctors on Thursday said Lucas developed a high fever while receiving a blood product. But on Friday, a post on the Save Lucas page said he was feeling a little better.

A post Saturday morning said, "It's been a rough few days. This blood infection has been giving me a hard time with bad fevers, high heart rates, and lack of sleep. Now my liver function numbers are 'off' so my team is looking into why this may be."

Lucas' medical team is waiting for more specific biopsy results to treat him. More information is expected Monday.

Lucas underwent the liver transplant surgery earlier this month after the organ was directly donated to him by the family of 3-year-old Olivia Swedberg, a girl from Nebraska who died less than two months after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

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