The worsening organ availability crisis continues to affect liver transplantation (LT) candidates. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), there were 16,092 patients awaiting LT as of March 31, 2012. The number of deceased liver transplants in the…
Diagnostic and interventional radiological procedures have an important role in liver transplantation. They are used before operation in the selection and presurgical management of candidates and posttransplantation in the follow-up, diagnosis, and treatment of complications. Pretransplantation Evaluation Radiological evaluation of…
Less than 25 years ago, a major nursing medical-surgical textbook stated: “The successful transplantation of organs and tissues as a means of preserving life, correcting deformities, and repairing organic damage has been an age old dream of physicians. In recent…
Despite great progress in liver transplantation, infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Although not every infection can be anticipated, many types can be predicted, and some can even be prevented. The sources of pathogenic organisms can be…
Kidney-related complications are common sequelae of hepatic failure. These complications include electrolyte and acid-base abnormalities in addition to alterations in renal function from hemodynamic changes and parenchymal disease. Since the introduction of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score…
Liver transplantation is now offered to a larger population of patients because of the growth and experience of transplant centers and the improvements in technology and technique. For example, coronary artery disease (CAD), left ventricular dysfunction, and arrhythmias were once…
The psychiatric assessment of the transplant candidate is a critical component of the transplant evaluation process. There is a relatively high degree of psychiatric morbidity in patients being considered for organ transplantation. However, active psychiatric illness is a modifiable risk…
Donation and Procurement of Organs As a complex, high-technology, lifesaving procedure associated with considerable risks, liver transplantation often poses numerous ethical dilemmas that require difficult decisions. These quandaries pertain to patients, their potential donors, and society at large. The underlying…
Liver transplantation has become an important component of treatment algorithms in children diagnosed with primary hepatic malignancy. Interestingly, liver transplantation for malignancy in the pediatric population has historic significance. A 3-year old child with biliary atresia and an incidentally discovered…
Liver transplantation has made possible the functional cure of several metabolic diseases characterized by inherited genetic defects. In many pediatric transplantation centers, metabolic diseases, most notably α 1 -antitrypsin deficiency, are the second or third most common indication for liver…