Premium
DECISION‐MAKING IN 100 PATIENTS REFERRED TO THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL LIVER TRANSPLANTATION UNIT
Author(s) -
McCAUGHAN G. W.,
DORNEY S. F. A.,
GALLAGHER N. D.,
PAINTER D. M.,
VICKERY R.,
KYD G.,
RICKARD K.,
BOOKALLIL M.,
WAUGH R.,
THOMPSON J. F.,
STEPHEN M. S.,
SHEIL A. G. R.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0004-8291
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1989.tb00222.x
Subject(s) - medicine , fulminant hepatic failure , liver transplantation , primary sclerosing cholangitis , primary biliary cirrhosis , transplantation , fulminant , referral , hepatitis , liver disease , chronic liver disease , fulminant hepatitis , cirrhosis , pediatrics , surgery , disease , gastroenterology , family medicine
One hundred patients were referred to the Australian National Liver Transplantation Unit between January 1986 and August 1987. The commonest disorders for referral were chronic active hepatitis in adults (22 cases), fulminant hepatic failure (14), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) (12) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) (10). Of the 100 patients 31 were activated for transplantation while 35 were deferred and 34 were found to be unsuitable. The decision‐making in these patients is discussed according to disease category. Timing of transplantation in PBC and PSC seemed clearcut, with 50% of referred patients being activated. However, major difficulties in timing of transplantation were found, particularly in patients with chronic active hepatitis (CAH) and fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). Of 36 patients with CAH (22) or FHF (14) only five were put on the active waiting list and only two were transplanted. Overall, 25 of the 31 patients underwent orthotopic liver transplantation, with 16 alive two‐30 months later.