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Maximizing the donor pool: marginal donors, splits, and living donor liver transplants
Author(s) -
HUMAR ABHINAV
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2004.03714.x
Subject(s) - medicine , economic shortage , waiting list , donation , disadvantage , liver transplantation , surgery , transplantation , liver disease , living donor liver transplantation , intensive care medicine , economic growth , linguistics , philosophy , government (linguistics) , political science , law , economics
The shortage of donor organs is probably the biggest problem facing the field of liver transplantation today. Waiting lists have grown dramatically in the last 10 years. The consequences of this have been multiple, including higher waiting list mortality rates, longer waiting times, and more advanced liver disease in those patients coming to transplant. To address this issue, transplant centers are utilizing several techniques in an effort to expand the donor pool. These include the use of marginal donors (donors that would not have been considered suitable for donation previously), the use of living donors, and performing split liver transplants from deceased donors. The obvious advantage of these procedures is to expand the donor pool, hence increasing the number of transplants, and thus hopefully decreasing waiting list mortality rates. The disadvantage is that in many instances, such transplants may yield inferior results compared to standard transplants, or be associated with a higher incidence of complications. Further experience with such types of transplants will hopefully help to improve results and define the ideal manner in which to use these techniques to maximize the number of transplants.