out as inflammation of the liver cells. If this disease is

caught in time, the inflammation can be cured and the

liver can heal. However, if this turns to the death of

the liver cells, the disease will keep advancing because

once the cells die, they form scar tissue inside the

liver and block the healthy cells from receiving the

nourishment and oxygen they need in order to live and

they die also. This can lead to a liver transplant.

The field of transplantation, many people have not

looked into. People sign to have put on their license

that they are a donor…but in the USA, unless the family

agrees after the person dies, the organ won’t be taken.

People think they if they need a liver transplant, they

are automatically placed on the list for transplant…not

so, they go through alot of testing and seeing doctors

before being placed on the list. The transplant list

goes from the bottom where people may sometimes

leave the transplant list cause they get better.

Whereas, if they are at the top of the list, they may only

have hours to live unless an organ becomes available cause

they are so sick. Just because the patient is on the

list, they still might not receive a transplant unless there

is an organ available that is the same blood type and

matches good. Also, even if the surgeon has an

organ, he may not use it because it has been too

long since it was removed from the donor body, or

it is diseased or has tumors or other things.

A transplant is an option, not a surgery that is required to

happen. A transplant surgery can take anywhere from

6 to 14 hours and the patient has to be able to have

enough strength to go through such a long time being

under.

A patient may receive a whole liver or just a partial.

They may receive it from someone who dies and is

declared brain dead, or someone whose family decides

that the organ should not be taken until the heart stops

beating or even from a living donor.

I think if you pick cirrhosis of the liver, you will

enlighten alot of people about transplantation and it

will be a very interesting subject.

Here are some links to start you out with. These all

have more than one page.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cirrhosis/DS00373

http://www.surgery.usc.edu/divisions/hep/patientguide/index.html

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis/

Home

Good luck with your report.