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Liver transplantation
Author(s) -
O'Grady J. G.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2036.1997.00164.x
Subject(s) - medicine , transplantation , liver transplantation , etiology , surgery , rehabilitation , intensive care medicine , physical therapy
The economic assessment of liver transplantation is complex and involves the cost of the transplant procedure, the cost of alternative treatments and the positive economic contribution of successful outcomes. The one‐year survival rates are currently in the order of 80–90% for elective transplants and 60–75% for emergency transplantation. The average cost of a liver transplant operation in the UK is between £32 000 and £45 000. Factors which have a major influence on costs are aetiology, patient status at the time of transplantation, retransplantation and duration of hospital stay. Rejection episodes, renal impairment and surgical complications are of intermediate importance. The cost of transplantation must be balanced against the cost of alternative treatments that would be required if the patient were not transplanted and the positive economic benefit derived from excellent rehabilitation in the majority of recipients.