Locations
Office
San Diego, CA
About
Bio
I grew up in North San Diego County and then spent 30 years going to school, training, and working all around the US. Now I'm back in San Diego doing Kidney transplants, Pancreas Transplants, and taking care of the surgical needs of those on dialysis. I love operating and taking care of sick people. When at home, I enjoy playing guitar, tennis, walking the dog, and enjoying everything that San Diego has to offer with my family.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
General Surgery
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
91 Answers
3 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: A removed gallbladder is gone for good!
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Not really: A hernia is an abnormal protrusion through a defect. You can have a bulge, but if its's not going through a hold, it's not a hernia. You can also have... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
MOst Likely yes.: Unless you got your organ from your identical twin (or your clone) you will need to take medicine to prevent your body from attacking your transplant.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Could Be.: Condoms are not foolproof. You should also be using a spermacide for any accidental spills.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 50-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Vaginal intercourse is a risk factor for the development of utis in all women because of the close proximity between the urethral opening and the anus... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Both chimpanzee and baboon hearts have functioned in humans--at least for a short time. Long term success has yet to be achieved and is not being wide... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
They can get sick.: Patients on immunosuppressants are more susceptible to cold and flu viruses. The best way to avoid viruses is to stay away from people who are sick. F... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
It's Dad's decision.: If dad wants to be a donor, he has the right to make that decision. There are others who may influence dad ability to donate. A transplant center is n... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Diabetics can be cadaver kidney donors if they have normally functioning kidneys. It's not a good idea, however, to be a living donor because diabetes... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Azathioprine is an effective immunosuppressant and is a valuable part of some protocols to prevent rejection. By suppressing the immune system, the ri... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: An artificial graft may last as long as a natural graft but i know of no synthetic grafts which actually last longer.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Abo compatibility is a must when transplanting kidneys. O donors can go into anyone. Ab donors can accept anyone. A and b recipients can accept a and ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: Any compensation is a violation of federal law.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
It depends on timing: If the kidney cancer was diagnosed soon after donation, it may be prudent to remove the transplanted kidney because it might contain cancer cells whic... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes-at a parlor: As long as the tattoo is done at a reputable tattoo parlor with sterile equipment, you should be ok. I advise patients to wait until their steroids ar... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Maybe: The decision as to whether it is safe to donate will be made by the donor team at the transplant center. Their first concern is your safety so they wi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Total body irradiation was attempted 50 years ago and was successful in shutting down the entire immune system. Unfortunately, this was universally fa... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: If the donor is active on the kidney registry, the family does not need to be asked. Otherwise, federal law requires asking the family except under me... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 52-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: Chronic rejection can be slowed down and sometimes stopped, but reversal with improvement in organ function is still a goal which we are working towar... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: Although the bile duct from the gall bladder passes through the pancreas, the gall bladder is really part of the liver's drainage system and it is not... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Safer than Rejection: All medicines have side effects. It's the job of the transplant clinic to find the right cocktail for each patient which will prevent rejection with m... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: Although some people can stop their medicines and do well, we currently don't have a way to predict who will do well and who will not. We believe that... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Possibly: A partial blockage in your colon can cause the bowel behind to work harder to move the fecal stream along. This extra activity may be what you're feel... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Be careful: Only have sex with a partner that you know well and trust fully. Using a condom will also drastically lower your risk of acquiring an std.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Living donation is possible and there have been successes. Unfortunately, if things go wrong, you can start with one diabetic and end up with two. The... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Almost everything: Nearly everything can be safely donated without compromising an "open casket" funeral. This should be discussed between the organ procurement counselo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: There are no guarantees (in life or in death). To improve your chances of becoming a donor after you die, you should sign up as an organ donor when yo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Perserverence: Your daughter will need a heart from another child who becomes brain dead but still has a beating heart. The organ procurement organization in your da... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Azathioprine can cause inflammation of the liver--hepatitis--so your dose needs to be closely monitored by your transplant center.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
It Depends on Why: You are probably at higher risk but it depends on why your parents developed renal failure. You should investigate the circumstances surrounding their... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Maybe: Many but not all patients with cirrhosis will go on to require liver transplantation. The first line treatment , however, is medical therapy. By follo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
See a surgeon: Pilonidal cysts are caused by hair buried beneath the skin. These can only be cured by scraping out the hair or removing the entire cyst. This is a pa... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years agoMerged
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No problem: A lipoma is a small benign fatty tumor which can be ignored if it doesn't bother you. It has nothing to do with your hair so adding dye is of no conce... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Sex doesn't play a role when matching for transplantation.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: Only a person who has been declared "brain dead" can give away their heart. There are no living donor heart transplants.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Usually within a day: Most antirejection medicines must be taken once or twice a day. Once stopped the drug levels will usually dip below the therapeutic threshold within a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Identical twins but not fraternal twins are "perfect matches" and don't need to take medicines to prevent rejection. We test twins before transplant b... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
It depends: To donate, you need to be a legal adult or an emancipated minor who is deemed competent to give informed consent.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: As long as it's done professionally and is taken care of appropriately. Any redness, swelling, or drainage should be evaluated by a physician.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Usually one good kidney is sufficient but sometimes 2 lower quality kidneys are transplanted simultaneously in order to get a good outcome.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
About 90 minutes: Transplants in young, thin recipients with no vascular disease can take less than an hour. More complicated procedures may take as long as 2 hours. Op... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
You won't be a donor: If you are listed on your state's registry as agreeing or disagreeing to be a donor, then your wishes will be honored and your family can't override t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 50-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: There is no current need for donor testes.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: Small cancers found incidentally have little impact on the ability to get a kidney transplant. Larger tumors or those that have spread away from the k... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Yes: As long as the tattoo was done by a reputable shop, you should be fine. Amateur tattoo artists don't always use sterile technique which may lead to tr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 50-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: Reputable donor registries do not charge fees to donors.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 50-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
No: There is no evidence in kidney transplantation that the sex of the donor affects the recipient in any way.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 50-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Very Well.: Living kidney donors go through a battery of tests to make sure that they can live a normal life with one kidney before they are allowed to donate. Th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Immediately: A rejected organ can cause pain, swelling, fever, and a drop in urine output. Early in the rejection process, there are no symptoms which is why lifel... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Why can't you eat or drink grapefruit when taking antirejection medication after a liver transplant?
Dr. Barry Browneanswered
General Surgery 37 years experience
Lowers Drug Levels: Grapefruit causes special enzymes in the liver to become more active. These enzymes can cause accelerated breakdown of some of the medicines used to p... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
3
Recommendations
160
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Browne is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Browne is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Jan 18, 2014
I would recommend to anyone.
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful!
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful!
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful!
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, IL
Graduated 1986MD
Awards
HealthTap Founding Doctor
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