Liver transplants could get easier in the United States

There are many people who need transplants in order to survive. The problem is that, sometimes, where you live affects if you get a liver in time or you die to wait. There are people who even travel across the country to get on a shorter waiting list, but this implies money and time. The national transport network is now trying to help all the people who are having this issue.

The United Network for Organ Sharing  is proposing a change. They want to redraw the map that governs how donate livers are distributed. This way, people won’t have to leave their home and spend money while trying to find a liver for them. The authorities wanted to make sure they were giving everyone an opportunity to get a liver transplant.

There are some places in the country that have fewer available organs, but a higher demand for them. Doctors say there is a huge difference in the risk of death on the waiting list depending on where you live. There should be some changes regarding this matter. There are thousands of people who are waiting to get a new liver every year. Just half of them received one last year, which is a major issue.

How do patients receive the liver? There are some laboratory tests which predict the risk of death. The sickest patients are the ones that get a liver. Unfortunately, some regions can’t transplant patients until they are very sick. This means that a person that gets the liver may have only a few weeks to live if they are in a region where transplants are not doing very well. The authorities hope they will manage to make the score the same, no matter where the patient is living.

If you want to move to another region for a better chance you can do that with no problem. That is why Steve Jobs did too because he lived in California, but the waiting list was too long there. We are hoping that they will manage to make some changes and people will have more chances to live, no matter where they live.

Transplants are saving millions of life every day around the world. Doctors recommend us to help people if we can, especially when we know someone who is very sick and needs a transplant as soon as possible. This could be his/hers only chance to live.

Image source: Wikipedia