Requiem to Prof. Paul McMaster

We lost an icon of liver transplantation, the great Prof. Paul McMaster. Pioneer of liver transplantation, worked with Prof. Roy Calne at the University of Cambridge, then founded the Liver Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital at the University of Birmingham, England, and thus revolutionized the practice of transplantation.

We had the opportunity to be the first Brazilians to arrive at the unit in 1991 and, in our first meetings, we were certain that we were in the right place, as we encountered an empathetic, charismatic, sensitive, calm, and determined man to help us understand him, a true gentleman.

Thus, as a skilled surgeon with a great capacity to transfer his knowledge, he enabled us to learn about transplantation in its entirety, without sparing recommendations for each transplant, interspersed with his wisdom about holistic and humanitarian care and professional responsibility, such as transplantation. Some will be easier and others more difficult, but it is important to understand the logistics and master the details concerning the individuality of the recipient, the donor, the harvesting, the surgical center, the blood bank, the intensive care unit, and plan for the complexity of this act, which goes far beyond the surgical act itself.

Furthermore, he emphasized the benefits of liver transplantation, transforming patients with no other treatment options into rehabilitated citizens. These unforgettable teachings were like a symphony and thus we had a great master, a maestro of medicine and life. In this way, the doors of this unit were opened to countless Brazilians who benefited from the same knowledge to implement transplantation in Brazil.

Among Prof. McMaster's numerous contributions, one can highlight his determination to perform liver transplantation with simplified resources, to adapting to the realities of the United Kingdom, which was a great contribution to emerging centers. His initiative to reduce the time of corticosteroid use to the 3rd month¹ contributed to reducing complications related to this immunosuppressant. He also led a pioneering study on the use of suboptimal donors, optimizing organ use and reducing mortality on the waiting list for liver transplantation.²

In addition to liver transplantation, his unit also performed kidney, pancreas, and intestine transplants, and cared for pediatric transplants carried out at the Children’s Hospital. Thus, his work extended to the transplantation of abdominal organs in both adult and pediatric recipients.

Therefore, he was not only a master in the area of transplants, but having trained countless fellows in hepatobiliary surgeries. Regarding his intellectual activities, he had an active participation in several medical societies as president of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) and as a founding member of the European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association (ELITA), in addition to several impactful publications in the field of liver transplantation.

After his retirement, he continued his work in assistance and later as a director in the renowned organization of Médicines Sans Frontières, maintaining his tireless activity and kindness in serving people those who depended on humanitarian care.

We had the honor of holding in 2001, in the city of São José do Rio Preto, State of São Paulo, Brazil, the 1st Meeting of the Fellows of Prof. Paul McMaster, where we received fellows from various countries and paid tribute to Prof. Paul McMaster by naming our unit the “Liver Surgery and Transplant Unit Prof. Paul McMaster” (Figs. 1, 2).

Figure 1
Tribute to Prof. Paul Mc Master.

Figure 2
1st Meeting of the Fellows of Prof. Paul McMaster.

Given his passion for being a doctor and caring for patients, we are sure that he did not rest, but rather opened a new line of work to do what he did best: his tireless dedication to medicine and love for patients!

Good work, master of masters!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Not applicable.

• FUNDING

  Not applicable.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Not applicable.

REFERÊNCIAS

• ¹
  Padbury RTA, Gunson BK, Dousset B, Hubscher SG, Buckels, Neuberger JM, et al. Steriod withdrawal from long-term immunosuppression in liver allograft recipients. Transplantaion 1993;55(4):789-94. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007890-199304000-00020
  » https://doi.org/10.1097/00007890-199304000-00020
• ²
  Mirza DF, Gunson BK, Silva RF, Mayer AD, Buckels JA, McMaster P. Policies in Europe on “marginal quality” donor livers. Lancet 1994;344(8935):1480-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(94)90294-1
  » https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(94)90294-1

Edited by

Section editor: Ilka de Fátima Santana F. Boin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1165-2149

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  12 Aug 2024
• Date of issue
  2024

History

• Received
  05 June 2024
• Accepted
  07 June 2024