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Death of a living liver donor from illicit drugs.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ringe, B; Petrucci, RJ; Soriano, HE; Reynolds, JC; Meyers, WC
Published in: Liver Transpl
August 2007

In children with acute hepatic failure, it has been suggested to offer living donor transplantation to all parents when a deceased donor organ can not be provided. Ethically, living related donation is coercive by its very nature, especially in emergencies. We report a 36-year-old woman who died from a drug overdose 57 days after living donor liver resection. The recipient was her 3-year-old son, who experienced acute hepatic failure as a result of acetaminophen intoxication. A deceased donor organ had not become available within 2 days after listing. Was the death of this living donor preventable or unpreventable? Certainly if the mother had decided not to take drugs, she would not have died from an overdose. One could argue that this was her personal choice, and beyond our influence. On the other hand, if we had not performed the surgery, the recipient might have died without receiving a liver transplant in time.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Liver Transpl

DOI

ISSN

1527-6465

Publication Date

August 2007

Volume

13

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1193 / 1194

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Treatment Outcome
  • Surgery
  • Risk Assessment
  • Parents
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Male
  • Living Donors
  • Liver Transplantation
  • Liver Failure
  • Illicit Drugs
 

Citation

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Ringe, B., Petrucci, R. J., Soriano, H. E., Reynolds, J. C., & Meyers, W. C. (2007). Death of a living liver donor from illicit drugs. Liver Transpl, 13(8), 1193–1194. https://doi.org/10.1002/lt.21240
Ringe, Burckhardt, Ralph J. Petrucci, Humberto E. Soriano, James C. Reynolds, and William C. Meyers. “Death of a living liver donor from illicit drugs.Liver Transpl 13, no. 8 (August 2007): 1193–94. https://doi.org/10.1002/lt.21240.
Ringe B, Petrucci RJ, Soriano HE, Reynolds JC, Meyers WC. Death of a living liver donor from illicit drugs. Liver Transpl. 2007 Aug;13(8):1193–4.
Ringe, Burckhardt, et al. “Death of a living liver donor from illicit drugs.Liver Transpl, vol. 13, no. 8, Aug. 2007, pp. 1193–94. Pubmed, doi:10.1002/lt.21240.
Ringe B, Petrucci RJ, Soriano HE, Reynolds JC, Meyers WC. Death of a living liver donor from illicit drugs. Liver Transpl. 2007 Aug;13(8):1193–1194.
Journal cover image

Published In

Liver Transpl

DOI

ISSN

1527-6465

Publication Date

August 2007

Volume

13

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1193 / 1194

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Treatment Outcome
  • Surgery
  • Risk Assessment
  • Parents
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Male
  • Living Donors
  • Liver Transplantation
  • Liver Failure
  • Illicit Drugs