Hear are some of the top liver transplant centers in the country. They are more likely to take on difficult cases.
Cleveland Clinic
Liver Transplant Department Supervisor
Ph: 216.444.8770 or 800.223.2273 x48770
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center; Los Angeles, CA
Adult Liver Transplant Program (310) 825-8138
NEW YORK-PRESBYTERIAN/WEILL CORNELL
CENTER FOR LIVER DISEASE AND TRANSPLANTATION
(646) 962-liver
UCSF Medical Center; San Francisco, CA
Phone: (415) 353-1888
St Luke's Episcopal Hospital
6720 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX 77030
Speak with a Liver Transplant Representative
877-685-0361
The Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute is located at:
1514 Jefferson Highway
New Orleans, LA 70121
Transplant Hotline 1-800-643-1635
I hope this helps.
Hector
Thank you for your information. I did try mayo clinic of AZ they said no becuase of BMI.
"Can you tell me is there anything that you could do? "
Is it University of Colorado Hospital that refused to list her?
Try other transplant centers. Transplant center have their now rules as to who they will transplant. She will have to go to the top transplant centers where they do more risky transplants. That would include UCSF here in San Francisco where we get patients from other centers that can't help them any more. Also I would try large transplant centers in New York City and LA where they do many transplants..
I would call them all and find out what their BMI and kidney disease requirements are for transplant. Of course she and her care givers would have to move to near the transplant center and probably stay there for a least 3 months post transplant.
Maybe Mayo clinic in Arizona will do it.
Would you consider doing a high risk transplant?
I personally would consider anything as hospice leads to only one thing.
Good luck.
Hector
Unfortunately, due to the shortage of available organs, transplant centers are required to follow strict guidelines regarding the allocation of livers. A person must be under a specific BMI, and be otherwise healthy, in order to be considered for a transplant. She should find out the specific criteria and try, if she can, to meet them. The guidelines are fairly consistent from state to state, although some states transplant at lower MELDs than others.
The gastric surgery would probably be too risky for your aunt given the current state of her liver. It could cause her liver to fail.
Best wishes to your aunt. I hope she can lose weight to meet the BMI criteria and be evaluated to see if she can be listed.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18044787
Hi,
I am very sorry for what you and your aunt are going through. I cut and pasted the above link that explains a bit why they cannot accept your aunt for transplant at her current BMI. The mortality rate post transplant is very high.
It makes sense that those patients with a better chance at survival would be accepted for transplant.
I know Hector who is the expert will advise you so my response to you is mostly to bump your post up to the top to catch his eye.
In the meantime, she should still have her symptoms treated by a Liver specialist and she should meticulously follow the diet recommended by the Liver Specialist.
All the best.