Latest Liver transplantation Stories

New research reveals that transplantation of partial livers from deceased adult and teen donors has become less risky for infants and young children, helping to save these young lives. Findings published online in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society, indicate that risk of organ failure and mortality from partial or split liver transplant was comparable to whole organ transplant in this...

Increased use of split livers could significantly increase pediatric organ donor pool, potentially reducing or eliminating waitlist mortality rate for this population BOSTON, June 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new study shows that when a liver from a deceased adult or adolescent donor is split into two separate portions for transplantation--with the smaller portion going to a young child and the larger to an adult--the smaller portion used for the child will last just as...

New data shows that human embryonic stem cells can be differentiated into liver progenitor cells and produce mature liver cells Liver transplantation is the mainstay of treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease, the 12th leading cause of death in the United States, but new research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, published in the online journal Cell Stem Cell today, suggests that it may one day become possible to regenerate a liver using cell therapy in patients...

New study demonstrates significant mortality rate among non-adhering adolescent patients and identifies risk factors that lead to non-adherence After receiving an organ transplant, patients must follow a regimented medication routine to maintain the health of their graft (transplanted organ). Failure to do so, known as non-adherence (NA), can result in life-threatening illness. NA has long been a concern among adolescent patients, but a new study from Boston Children's Hospital...

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Facing international pressure about the unethical harvesting of organs from convicted prisoners, China's top health care official apparently can't make up his mind about the status of the brutal and inhumane practice. In a May 17 news conference called to trumpet an end of the policy, Dr. Huang Jiefu promised that organ harvesting from executed criminals would be "phased out" within two years--and then defended the practice three...

Saint Luke's Liver Disease Management Center says testing is key to saving lives, 'silent infection' rampant among baby boomers KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If you're a baby boomer, you may not know that odds are high that you're carrying the hepatitis C virus, putting yourself at risk for illness that can range from minor to life threatening. Hepatitis C is a contagious disease affecting primarily the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The...

Obese patients who received robotic kidney transplants had fewer wound complications than patients who received traditional “open” transplant surgery, according to surgeons at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System. The findings should allow more obese patients to receive kidney transplants. Patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 who have end-stage kidney disease are often denied transplantation, and patients with a BMI over 40 often die on...

CDC estimates “silent killer” affects five million Americans. Camden, NJ (PRWEB) May 13, 2013 When 57-year-old Vineland resident Rafael Roman was hospitalized at a South Jersey medical center with liver failure one year ago, his doctor told him there was nothing that could be done for him. “He told me I’d be lucky to make it to the end of the week,” says Roman, a father of five. “I said to him, ‘You know it’s Thursday, right?’”     Fortunately,...

Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is feasible for HIV-infected patients, with no differences in post-transplant survival or HCC recurrence rates compared with liver transplantation for HCC in HIV-uninfected patients. The study, published in The Oncologist, was led by Dr. Fabrizio Di Benedetto, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy, and represents the largest multicenter study of liver transplant for HCC in...

Support for altruistic kidney donation has more than doubled since 2001; support for all types of organ donation increasing Good news for anyone needing a transplant; a new Mayo Clinic survey shows that the public's support for both living and deceased organ donation is increasing. Eighty-four percent of respondents said they would be very or somewhat likely to consider donating a kidney or a portion of their liver to a close friend or family member in need, and an astounding 49 percent...