Fighting Mortality in the Waiting List: Liver Transplantation in North America, Europe, and Asia

Abstract

Liver disease is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Liver transplantation (LT) is the most effective treatment for end stage liver disease. Available resources and social circumstances have led to different ways of implementing LT around the world. The experience with pediatric LT corroborates the hypothesis that a combination of surgical strategies can be beneficial. The goal of this manuscript is to describe the strategies used by LT centers in North America, Europe and Asia and how these strategies can be applied to reduce waitlist mortality and increase access to LT.

Keywords

• Chronic liver disease
• Liver transplantation
• Living donor liver transplantation
• Ssplit liver transplantation
• Waitlist mortality