Opinion: Removing barriers to split liver transplants will save lives
The liver is one of the few organs that need not be transplanted whole. It can be split into parts, with one part going to one person needing a new liver and the other part going to a second one. Removing barriers to this procedure, known as split liver transplantation, could reduce the number of deaths caused by liver failure.
Here’s a real-life illustration (the names have been changed to protect privacy): Jacob was born with a rare disease that damaged his liver and needed a transplant about six months after he was born. At age five, he needed a second transplant, but his mother was told it was unlikely that a child’s liver of suitable size would become available in time. Approximately six months later, on Halloween night 2016, a young man in Rhode Island died of a drug overdose. Two days later, Jacob received 40% of the man’s liver at Boston Children’s Hospital. Miranda, a woman in her 50s suffering from acute liver failure, received the remaining 60%. Today, Jacob is a healthy and thriving 13-year-old; Miranda is also doing well.
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