Liver Transplantation Criteria

The medical practice of organ transplantation has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 50 years. Each year the medical profession takes more risk with decisions regarding transplants, how to allocate for organs, and most recently conducting transplants on children with adult organs. “An organ transplantation is a surgical operation where a failing or damaged organ in the human body is removed and replaced with a new one” (Caplan, 2009). Not all organs can be transplanted. The term “organ transplant” typically refers to transplants of solid organs: heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, and intestines. There are two ways of receiving an organ transplant: from a living human or an organ from a

In this society, organ transplant surgery has been perfected to where no risk is present. However, organs still have a high demand with low supply. In addition, the only people eligible to receive organs are those who came to their ailment at no fault of their own. In other words, they did not smoke, drink, or eat in manners that caused their diseased organs. The people who donate organs have to be perfectly healthy as well to eliminate unhealthy organs for donation.

A continuing problem exists in trying to close the gap between the supply and demand of procured organs in the United States. An increase in the amount of transplant operations performed has risen significantly over time. As a result, a new name is added to the national waiting list every 16 minutes (Duan, Gibbons, & Meltzer, 2000). It is estimated that about 100,000 individuals are on the national transplant waiting list at all times (Munson, 2012). Something needs to be done before these numbers get completely out of control. Despite the introduction of Gift of Life and many other educational efforts, the United

Today we are in great need of a solution to solve the problem of the shortage of human organs available for transplant. The website for Donate Life America estimates that in the United States over 100 people per day are added to the current list of over 100,000 men, women, and children that are waiting for life-saving transplants. Sadly enough, approximately 18 people a day on that list die just because they cannot outlive the wait for the organ that they so desperately need to survive. James Burdick, director of the Division of Transplantation for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services confirms, “The need for organ transplants continues to grow and this demand continues to outpace the supply of transplantable organs”. The

Although there is no cure for Hepatitis B there are ways to help reduce re-infection once a new liver is received. Continued use of lifelong antiviral medication can decrease the re-occurrence of Hepatitis B, but because of the lack of cellular immunity if antiviral medication is stop re-occurrence can occur (Wagner, 2009). Mrs. Bay is married with two young children and is very active in her community. A great family and community bond will give the support system needed to recover from a liver transplant. She will have a chance to be in her children’s life and will be able to continue to support the community. “Trying to select organ recipients based on self worth, self-destruction behavior, and a potential for rehabilitation is difficult to justify from an ethical perspective” (Butts & Rich, 2008, p.300). Although this true, some people might not feel comfortable giving a liver to a person who states they would not make any promises to stop drinking when a new liver is received. Mrs. Bay would be a great candidate for liver transplantation because she will be more complaint to take antiviral medication indefinitely thus decreasing the risk of re-occurrence.

Liver Allocation is an ethical dilemma for healthcare providers and patients. An article published in the American Journal of Critical-Care Nurses entitled “The Power of The Liver Transplant Waiting List: A Case Presentation” discusses a 60 year old woman with cirrhosis was placed on the liver transplant list under the category “status 7”. Status 7 is an inactive state and are considered unsuitable to receive transplant surgery. Liver allocation is done by an organization called the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and the way they rank patients to receive a transplant is by a Model End Staged Liver Disease (MELD). It is scored from 6 to 40, and those with a high scores are the ones to receive a liver transplant (Hansen, Yan, and Rosenkranz,

I am passionate about scientific developments and how these advancements will help shape the future, with man-made organs being a specific area of interest. Having researched the damage suffered by the liver due to alcohol abuse, I was astonished at the fact that there presently aren’t any effective treatments as a solution to this widespread problem. The need for liver transplants are greater now than ever and to meet our society’s growing demand, researchers must

Overcoming alcoholism is not something that can be accomplished over night by simply gaining further knowledge regarding the disposition an alcoholic has put another person in. Alcoholics should be required to go through rehabilitation before and/or during the waiting process for a transplant. Their mistakes and sometimes inability to completely change should not make them any less of a human being with a right to life through

Recent medical advances have greatly enhanced the ability to successfully transplant organs and tissue. Forty-five years ago the first successful kidney transplant was performed in the United States, followed twenty years later by the first heart transplant. Statistics from the United Network for Organ Sharing (ONOS) indicate that in 1998 a total of 20,961 transplants were performed in the United States. Although the number of transplants has risen sharply in recent years, the demand for organs far outweighs the supply. To date, more than 65,000 people are on the national organ transplant waiting list and about 4,000 of them will die this year- about 11 every day- while waiting for a chance to extend their life through organ donation

Another questionable organ recipient other than the criminal is an alcoholic. There is a moral dilemma over whether or not somebody who has intentionally caused his or her organ to fail should receive a new organ before somebody whose organ has failed through no fault of his own. According to the equal access view, one’s lifestyle choices are not factors when considering access to medical procedures. According to the maximum benefit view, however, a medical bias should be taken into consideration. Alcoholic cirrhosis is a disease in which the liver is severely scarred due to excessive alcohol consumption. If the goal of bioethics is to maximize life, then non-reformed alcoholics should not be allowed to register on the national organ distribution list. Since their alcoholic cirrhosis is still worsening,

Organ transplantation is a term that most people are familiar with. When a person develops the need for a new organ either due to an accident or disease, they receive a transplant, right? No, that 's not always right. When a person needs a new organ, they usually face a long term struggle that they may never see the end of, at least while they are alive. The demand for transplant organs is a challenging problem that many people are working to solve. Countries all over the world face the organ shortage epidemic, and they all have different laws regarding what can be done to solve it. However, no country has been able to create a successful plan without causing moral and ethical dilemmas.

The research method used for this study was qualitative that involved conducting interviews with patients who were selected based on information gathered through the Organ Transplant Tracking Record (OTTR). In addition, patients’ rights are covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and reviewed, monitored, and approved by the internal review board (IRB) of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Moreover, these interviews were conducted at patients’ home; however, in some instances, the interview was conducted at a different venue suggested by the patient. The potential participants had to have end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and be a candidate on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) before being interviewed (Brown et al., 2006). In addition, the interviewers were not associated with the medical center or the transplant team. This was done so participants would not associate the study

Since their inception in 2001, the Texas Transplant Institute Liver Disease and Transplant Team (LDTT) has performed over four hundred liver transplants (Texas Transplant Institute, n.d.). The LDTT’s multi-disciplinary team approach to patient care includes highly skilled physicians, advanced practice nurses, transplant coordinators, dietitians, social workers, pharmacists, and other caregivers dedicated to the care of transplant candidates and their families. The LDTT currently leads the nation in liver transplant patient one and three year survival rates (Texas Transplant Institute, n.d.) and have transplanted more medically urgent patients than any other transplant program in Texas (Texas Transplant Institute, n.d.). While not categorically

In 2002, the Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) system for liver allocation was implemented and it resulted in lower waiting list death rates among recipients without changing 1-year graft and patient survival (19, 20), including those > 65 years (21) in comparison to the pre-MELD era. However, functional status and long-term clinical outcomes among older liver transplant recipients in the MELD era are unclear.

As of November 30th, 2017, 116,080 people formed the organ transplant waiting list. On average, twenty people on this list will die today. The number of people that need an organ transplant continues to grow; every ten minutes a new name is added to the list. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, “only 3 in 1,000 people die in a way that allows for organ donation” (“Organ Donation Statistics”). In order for a deceased person to give organs, the organs must still be alive to donate. Organ transplantation improved greatly over the last century, but with an insufficient amount of organs available, it limits breakthroughs. In essence, new methods need to replace the unavailable organs. These methods drastically improve the process of organ transplantation, and in the future, the overall humans well-being.