Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

Liver and Liver-Transplant Fact Sheet*Copyright © 2009 Education Development Center, Inc. Exploring Bioethics.Permission granted for classroom use.Scientific QuestionWhat organs and tissues canbe transplanted?How many people were listedfor a liver transplant in 2008?How many people received aliver transplant in 2008?How many people died in 2008while they were on the liverwaiting list?What does the liver do?What is liver failure?Why do livers fail, causingpeople to need a livertransplant?How do liver transplants work?AnswerHeart, heart valves, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, tendons, bones,intestines, corneas, skinRoughly 16,000Roughly 6,000Roughly 2,000It stores the vitamins, sugar, and iron that help give your body energy. Italso controls the removal and production of cholesterol; clears the bloodof waste products, drugs, and other toxins; makes clotting factors thatstop bleeding after cuts or injuries; and releases bile that helps digest foodand absorb important nutrients.The liver fails when it is unable to filter wastes, toxins, and drugs fromthe blood or can no longer produce the clotting factors necessary to stopbleeding. Liver failure can lead to death.In adults, the most common reason for liver failure is cirrhosis. It’s causedby many types of liver injuries that destroy healthy liver cells and replacethem with scar tissue. Cirrhosis can be caused by viruses such as hepatitis Band C, excessive alcohol consumption, autoimmune liver diseases, buildupof fat in the liver, and hereditary liver diseases.In children, the most common reason for liver failure is biliary atresia.Bile ducts, which are tubes that carry bile out of the liver, are missing ordamaged in this disease. When bile cannot flow easily out of the liver,cirrhosis can arise.Other reasons for liver failure and transplantation are liver cancer, benignliver tumors, and hereditary diseases. Sometimes the cause of liverdisease is not known.There are two types of liver transplants: deceased donor and living donor.Usually, a liver transplant is done with a liver from a brain-dead person(a deceased donor). The liver is removed from the body and kept sterileuntil it is transplanted. The donor is matched to the recipient based onhis or her medical condition, body size, and blood group. With livingdonors, doctors remove a piece of liver from someone while they arealive. The right half of a liver is usually removed from an adult donor andtransplanted to another adult. For a child needing a transplant, a smallerpart of the adult liver is removed and used. The donor’s liver regenerates.ContinuedMaster 3.5 (Page 1 of 2)