Who gets the liver?
In the journal of 18 July 1998 we reported how
the priorities of the general public, family doctors, and gastroenterologists
differ when deciding who should receive scarce liver transplants.
In the published study, respondents were given eight case histories
and asked to select four recipients. Respondents were informed that, except
where stated, all patients would have a good chance of living a normal
life for at least another 10 years after transplantation and, except where
indicated, the liver disease was not related to alcohol.
Click here to read the BMJ article
We repeated this questionnaire online for several weeks.
Results of online questionnaire:
|
Patients |
General public |
Family doctor |
Gastro-
enterologist |
Other |
TOTAL |
| A 68 year old woman looks after her 92 year old
father at home. She has a serious liver disease and will die within 6 months without the transplant
|
16 |
17 |
3 |
57 |
93 |
| A 9 month old boy has liver disease. Without a transplant he will die in 18 months. He has three older brothers and one
older sister
|
47 |
33 |
14 |
127 |
221 |
| A 21 year old woman is diagnosed with liver cancer when 8 months' pregnant. She will die in 6 months without the transplant.
If transplanted, she has only a one in two chance of being present at her daughter's 1st birthday party but a one in 10 chance of a
cure and living for 10 or more years |
35 |
23 |
5 |
106 |
169 |
| A 17 year old woman takes a paracetamol overdose after a row with her boyfriend. It is the first time she has done this. Without the transplant she will be dead in 4 days
|
51 |
37 |
18 |
159 |
265 |
| A 50 year old man is in prison serving a long sentence for grievous bodily harm. He has a serious liver disease from which he will die in 9 months
|
3 |
1 |
3 |
11 |
18 |
| A 45 year old garage owner with a wife and two young children has drunk heavily since he was 18. This has led to liver and kidney failure. He has 2 months to live if he is not transplanted
|
21 |
9 |
6 |
40 |
76 |
| A 35 year old unemployed man lives alone. His liver disease will kill him within 9 months unless he receives a transplant
|
27 |
25 |
12 |
116 |
180 |
| A 45 year old woman used drugs in the 1970s during which she contracted a virus which resulted in liver failure. She has not used drugs since and unless transplanted is unlikely to live more than a year.
|
31 |
16 |
12 |
97 |
156 |
| TOTAL
|
58 |
42 |
18 |
187 |
305 |
