The document summarizes the process and significance of liver transplants. It describes how a transplant is needed when the liver is damaged, and the process of replacing a damaged liver with a healthy donor liver. It discusses both the advantages of a transplant, such as reduced death risks and improved liver function, and the disadvantages, including risks of organ rejection and need for lifelong medication. It also examines some of the ethical issues and economic challenges surrounding organ transplantation.

2. There are different types
of transplants, but the most
common is the organ transplant. A
transplant is needed because an
organ could be damaged or
affected by dieses. This organ
could be a liver, kidney, heart or a
lung, but I will be talking about Figure 1 Difference between a healthy liver and an infected
(Procto-Med, 2009)
the liver. The liver does a lot of
vital functions in the body such as storing large amount of blood, glycogen, vitamins
and minerals. It also helps our body by detoxifying, chemicals, hormones and
molecules. But there are some causes that can damage the liver such as different
types of dieses or Hepatitis, cirrhosis or liver cancer. It could also be because you
are not keeping your body healthy by drinking or smoking too much, as well as
building up of fat in the liver. (See Fig. 1) Due to these problems the person needs
to get and liver transplant, replacing his liver with an artificial liver. (NIDDK,
Unknown Date)

3. The Process of a liver transplant is basically simple. First they would need to
find a liver, this could be from a donor or a corpse. While they are taking out the
liver, the recipient would be getting prepared for the transplant, because it would
immediately take place after the
liver is taken out. They first take
out the infected liver from the
recipient leaving the donor’s in
cold time. The procedure would
Figure 2 How it looks like after the transplant (A.D.A.M, 2006) usually last up to 12 hours, after
the transfer the patient is
required to take medicine in order for the body to accept the liver. The patient
would also have to save in recovery for a couple of weeks; this would hugely help the
patient and reduce danger for the patient. (See Fig. 2) (E-Medicine, Unknown
date)
There are many advantages and disadvantages when a patient is getting a
liver transplant. A huge advantage would be less death or problems when you are
waiting for an organ. But it depends on the conditions, diagnosis or status. This is
the main advantage of the transplant. A different advantage would be the amount
of cold time for the liver. Right after the liver is being removed from the donor, it

4. is immediately placed in the recipient. This reduces the amount of damaged is given
to the liver when the liver is in cold time, which is when it is kept on ice. This will
give a high possibility of the liver functioning in good health. Finally, the number of
livers available for a recipient is increased. The recipient no longer requires
cadaver’s liver; instead the recipient can have a high performance liver from a living
donor. (Mayo clinic, Unknown Date)
Even if there are some decent advantages of a liver transplant, there are
some negatives that would hugely affect people. One of them would be having a
possibility of getting the graft rejection due to your body. A high risk of having
your immune system attacking the liver and possibly destroying it. There are
different types of rejection, the way it rejects the liver and when it will happen
after the transplant. After the patient receive a transplant, the patient then have
to take different types of drugs and medicine in his whole life. The medicine helps
the body accept the liver in order for it to help the patient. But a huge
disadvantage when having a liver transplant is the problems that occur for the
patient. After the transplant there is likelihood that the liver can be damaged again
causing huge problems for the patient. Dieses or issues that the patient had could
attack the liver, such as having Hepatitis C coming back again and damaging the

5. liver. A blockage between the blood vessels and liver would destroy the liver, making
it useless for the patient. (UCLA Transplantation Services, Unknown Date)
There are dissimilar kinds of issues that affect liver transplants. Theses
issues also affect people because they prevent the patients from getting
transplants, not only that but they also changes the person’s lifestyle. A world issue
that all organ transplants have to face is an ethical issue. This issue has affected all
the organ transplants; it also was a huge problem in liver transplant history. The
issue is the amount of liver that is available for a recipient, some people have to buy
one and some have to wait for a quite a while. This has affected organ transplants
highly because a lot of people die due to this problem. In the past, it also increases
the problems for some people because they have to make a choice of which person
gets an organ based from a group of people.
It is very stressing because they have to make a huge decision and argue why they
made that decision. This is really hard for people because they have to pick who
gets the organ based on their status. This focuses on family, contribution to
society, history and health status. But now it is easier because there is a waiting list
and fewer amounts of pressure and problems come to mind when there is an organ
transplant. (Kittredge, Mary, 1989)

6. After a transplant a patient always has an economics issue that will affect
their lifestyle. The patient is required to take medicine after their transplant, this
will last for his whole life. For every year this patient has to pay for the medicine in
order for him to risk the chance of organ problems for him. The transplant itself is
also highly expensive, including other processes like hospital transplant admission,
physician during transplant and procurement. (See Fig 3) The patients also have to
go for a regular check up, which also would cost him some money. (United Network
for Organ Sharing, 2003)
Figure 3 Organ transplant costs (United Network for Organ Sharing, 2003)
The essay summarizes the significances of liver transplants, such as the
disadvantages and advantages of liver transplant. Only it also describes two issues
that affected liver transplants for patients. This essay portrays the different
types of imperative of liver transplants and how it affects the lives of people.

7. Liver transplants is interesting and amazing because I thought transplants would
help the patient and make his life better and easier. But it actually takes a lot of
effort and work to survive after this transplant. I also didn’t know there were so
many disadvantages when having a liver transplant, and the how it affects their
lifestyle. The different types of issues I researched about was also fascinating and
surprising, because I can learn the history of organ transplants and issues that
occurred. Due to the amount of disadvantages, avoiding liver transplants would be
an affective way. Taking care of yourself would be an easy way to avoid getting this
transplant, because from this essay it tells there are a lot of disadvantages when
getting this transplant. There are also risks when you are getting a transplant that
could possibly death or rejection of the organ.

8. Citations:
"FAQs | Patient Resources | UCLA Transplantation Services - Los Angeles, CA."
UCLA Transplantation Services - Los Angeles, CA. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar.
2011. <http://transplants.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=54&category=4>.
Kittredge, Mary. Organ transplants . New York: Chelsea House, 1989. Print.
Laws. " Transplant Living: Organ Donation and Transplantation Information for
Patients." Transplant Living: Organ Donation and Transplantation
Information for Patients. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.transplantliving.org/beforethetransplant/finance/costs.aspx>.
"Live Donor Liver Transplantation." BC Transplant. Massachusetts Medical Society ,
n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <www.transplant.bc.ca/pre_livingliver.htm>.
"Liver Transplant." Emedicine Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
<www.emedicinehealth.com/liver_transplant/article_em.htm>.
"Liver Transplantation Procedure." Yale Medical Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar.
2011.
<http://www.yalemedicalgroup.org/stw/Page.asp?PageID=STW028975>.
"Liver Transplantation: MedlinePlus." National Library of Medicine - National

9. Institutes of Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/livertransplantation.html>.
"Organ Transplant Options, Surgeons and Research at Mayo Clinic." Mayo Clinic.
N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/transplant/innovation.html>.
"The Gift of a Lifetime: The Transplant Waiting List." Organ Donation, Tissue
Donation, Organ Transplants - The Gift of a Lifetime. N.p., n.d. Web. 22
Mar. 2011. <http://www.organtransplants.org/understanding/unos/>.
"What I need to know about Liver Transplantation." National Digestive Diseases
Information Clearinghouse. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
<http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/livertransplant_ez/>.
Pictures:
http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/cirrhosis-liver.jpg (Picture 1)
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/adam/images/en/liver-transplant-aftercare-
picture.jpg (Picture 2)
http://www.transplantliving.org/beforethetransplant/finance/costs.aspx
(Picture 3)
!