Are livers actually fungible enough to allow for that level of redistribution? I thought part of the problem with organ wait lists is that getting a match is very hard. I've been on the marrow donor list for years and never been called because there's way more protein match indicators required.
Great question. With the number of people waiting for transplants across the US and our ability to transplant an organ into someone who is hundreds of miles away, as far as I'm aware, this isn't too much of an issue. If overall liver health became dramatically better and there were many fewer patients being listed for transplant, it might be a different story. However, while the HCV landscape is looking much better, obesity-associated liver disease is on the rise, so at least for now, there is plenty of demand for liver transplantation.
Or just doing what is in your power to improve or maintain your health. This crossed my mind during the pandemic when it was clear we were short of medical resources. If you can eat well and exercise regularly you reduce your chance of spending a lot of time in the hospitals and free up those resources for people that do need them.
This is a beautiful example of systems thinking used to solve real problems.
Are livers actually fungible enough to allow for that level of redistribution? I thought part of the problem with organ wait lists is that getting a match is very hard. I've been on the marrow donor list for years and never been called because there's way more protein match indicators required.
Great question. With the number of people waiting for transplants across the US and our ability to transplant an organ into someone who is hundreds of miles away, as far as I'm aware, this isn't too much of an issue. If overall liver health became dramatically better and there were many fewer patients being listed for transplant, it might be a different story. However, while the HCV landscape is looking much better, obesity-associated liver disease is on the rise, so at least for now, there is plenty of demand for liver transplantation.
Or just doing what is in your power to improve or maintain your health. This crossed my mind during the pandemic when it was clear we were short of medical resources. If you can eat well and exercise regularly you reduce your chance of spending a lot of time in the hospitals and free up those resources for people that do need them.