Pros And Cons Of Living Donor Liver Transplantation

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

Since that time donation has been the only way to increase the current supply of transplantable organs. Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of organ donation due to misconceptions and lack of knowledge. In fact, organ transplant recipient Dr. Phil H. Berry, Jr. points out that there would be less deaths of people waiting for transplants, “if Americans would overcome their reluctance to become organ donors” (29). Organ donation whether it is upon your death or giving a part of a liver or one kidney while you are alive is a charitable gesture towards your fellow man and could give meaning to the end of your life. The mere act of donating could bring more peace to your loved ones at the time of your death and as a result, you could give

My grandfather was a lucky one, though he had to wait 5 years until his luck was fully granted. He was diagnosed with sever kidney failure, spent 5 years on dialysis, then was blessed with the option of getting a kidney… twice. Though the first time he had to reject because of the health of his wife-after her death, he was called once more with the option of having a kidney transplant. However, my grandfather is an exception, most people do not get called once, let alone twice, for the option of receiving a kidney. As of October 25th 2013, about 100,000 people were waiting for a new kidney in the United States. (SCU) Every day, 18 people from that list die along with 10 others being added. As of October 25th, 2013, out of the 100,000 people waiting for a new kidney while only about 10,000 received one; that means 90,000 people are either rolled over to the next year, or die waiting. The marvelousness of kidney donations, compared to other organs donations, is that each person is born with two and can sustain a healthy life with just one; simple facts such as this is what has driven the black market kidney trade to flourish. (CBSNEWS) However, if this is the case then why aren’t more people donating? Is it because they are not getting something in return? Why donate for free when someone on the black market will pay 10,000 dollars? The main arguments against black market organ donations, not limited to kidneys, is that people do not know the risks- yet if someone is

Since the first successful kidney transplant in 1954, the procedure has evolved from a risky experimental procedure to a relatively safe and standard procedure. Since then, doctors have been consistently raising the bar and have had success with numerous organ transplants, including hearts, lungs, livers, skin and even full facial transplants. Organs can be donated from the obvious, a deceased person, or from a cadaveric donor (someone who is declared brain dead) or from live donors. The transplantable organs from a live donor include the kidney, part of the lung and liver, and part of the eye, the cornea. The donor organs

At the age of 18 I think that everyone should be offered the chance to become an organ donor instead of at 16 being asked for their drivers license. People should not be forced to allow doctors to harvest their organs from their deceased bodies, but if they are okay with that they can go ahead. To be blunt, I think the world is overpopulated and the Darwanian evolution theories phrase, “Survival of the Fittest” deffinetly applies to this topic. Advances in human science are fantastic and I think that if we can help someone we should, but if someone is not comfortable with sharing their organs because of either religous of personal views they should not be forced to.

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

In December of 1954, the first human organ transplant was performed in the United States between identical twin brothers. In the past sixty years, organ transplantation has become the gold standard in the treatment of organ failure from a number of underlying causes with dramatic improvements to recipients’ health and quality of life (Kaserman, 2007). From the first kidney transplant in 1954 to the late 1980’s, one of the biggest advancements was the use of cadaver organs. Organ rejection was the primary concern from the transplant team who knew that the use of cadaver organs posed higher risks of failure.

The human body is amazing in the fact that our organs are specialized. Each performs a specific role in order to increase efficiency within the body. Our specialized organs give us the ability to function and live. If just one out of our 78 organ is no longer able to perform its necessary action, something else needs to do it in place of the organ - usually a machine. Quality of life when hooked up to a machine performing crucial functions can be poor, and this is where organ transplants can help greatly. The organs of just one person can save up to eight lives and improve the lives of over 60. Major organs such as the heart and liver are essential to live. Therefore, when they are transplanted into patients, it is often a life-saving procedure that gives the recipient a second chance at life. Other organs such as

Throughout time Organ transplanting has been an important medical procedure that has been present, not only in the United States, but around the globe. It is the process of surgically removing an organ from on patient and then transplanting it into the other. This practice is usually used when a recipient’s own organ fails to function properly or has

The donor’s body is highly monitored to assure that the organs are kept alive for the patient. The organs cannot be preserved very long once outside the body. The special transplant medical teams must arrive to the hospital quickly. Some organ’s preservation time is longer than others, for example a kidney can be preserved for up to 72 hours outside of the body. Livers can be preserved for up to 24 hours. On the other hand, hearts and lungs can only last up to four hours (“How Does the Donor Process Work?”).

There are almost seventeen thousand people waiting for a liver and the doctors don’t think they can get one in time for your friend”.[1]

Organ donation could save the life of so many Individuals. One organ donor can save or significantly improve the lives of a minimum of seven others (Morgan, 2004). There has been a severe shortage in the availability of organ for transplantation. Presently, more than 40,000 patients in the United States are expecting organ transplants and it is guesstimated that about 60,000 people die yearly due to limited availability of organ for transplantation (Skumanich et al., 1996). The demand for organ donor is rising as transplant surgery turn out to be increasingly popular and successful in saving the lives of many individuals. Card

Currently, there are over 100,000 people on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list for organ transplantation (2012, Transplant Trends). Only 26, 246 transplantations occurred between January and November of 2011, (UNOS, 2012, Transplant Trends). There is a huge contrast in the number of people needing organs and the number of organs actually available for transplantation. This lack of organs creates a serious dilemma regarding how to increase the supply of organs for transplantation. So far, many of the efforts to increase organ donation have focused on the procurement from deceased donors;

American Journal of Transplantation is ranked top in its field of medicine. It consists of a compilation of articles written by prominent authors including surgeons, scientists, economists and others. The authors of this specific article include several researchers in the field of medicine, who examine how organs of living and deceased donors are currently not enough to treat the number of patients added to the waiting list daily. In order to relieve this problem, a

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.