Living donor liver transplantation: the historical and cultural basis of policy decisions and ongoing ethical questions.
Adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is in a state of flux. Technical innovations and demand have outpaced internal and external regulatory efforts. This has led to a wide array of centers performing LDLT for a variety of indications without clear evidence on the risks to the donor or recipient or the system as a whole. The birth from necessity of LDLT in Asia has led to the extrapolation of the technique in America and Europe that has not been sufficiently studied in the appropriate populations. While there is a clear benefit in some patients, the appropriate donors and recipients have not been defined. Regulatory and ethical consideration should be focused on minimizing acceptable risk in donors and recipients and expanding the investigation into the costs and outcomes of this challenging procedure. The recently funded adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation cohort sponsored by the National Institutes of Health aims to answer some of these questions over the next five years.
Duke Scholars
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Related Subject Headings
- United States
- Tissue and Organ Procurement
- Risk Management
- Policy Making
- Living Donors
- Liver Transplantation
- Humans
- History, 21st Century
- History, 20th Century
- Health Policy & Services
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- United States
- Tissue and Organ Procurement
- Risk Management
- Policy Making
- Living Donors
- Liver Transplantation
- Humans
- History, 21st Century
- History, 20th Century
- Health Policy & Services