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Cirrhosis and decompensated liver disease were the ninth leading cause of death for males in 2016 in the United States. Liver transplantation (LT) is a lifesaving gift and proven intervention in managing patients with acute and chronic end-stage liver disease. It restores normal health, lifestyle and extends lifespan by 15 years. The advent of liver transplantation came as a safety net to treat various liver diseases when all other medical interventions have failed. According to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data, overall patient survival is excellent, reaching 90% at 1 year following deceased donor liver transplantation and 77% at 5 years. Since liver transplantation was first attempted in 1963, there have been continuous advances and major improvements in the surgical technique, type of organ donation with the expansion of the organ donation pool, and a major focus on the quality of life of both the recipients and donors. Still, there are important challenges, including the shortage of donor organs, selection of liver transplantation candidates, and organ allocation.

PMID: 32644587