Patients whose liver transplant evaluations are complete are discussed at the weekly Liver Transplant Selection Committee meeting.
The committee comprises surgeons, hepatologists, a social worker, a chemical dependency specialist, a psychiatrist, a bioethicist, and an anesthesiologist. A decision regarding liver transplant is made by consensus, based on the information and opinions provided by team members who evaluated the potential liver transplantation patient.
Liver transplant patients may be approved for immediate placement on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), http://www.unos.org/, national liver transplant waiting list, or their placement on the list may be deferred pending completion of additional testing or a chemical dependency program (in patients with a history of substance abuse). Patients who are thought to be too well for OLT or in whom the risk of surgery outweighs the benefits will not be approved and are either deferred or rejected.
The final step in the liver transplantation review process includes approval by the Ohio Solid Organ Transplant Consortium (OSOTC) Liver Transplant Review Committee, comprised of representatives from other Ohio liver transplant programs and the lay public. OSOTC approval must be obtained for all patients. Potential liver transplant patients with MELD scores =25, or status 1 patients, can be listed with UNOS and the summary submitted to OSOTC within 24 business hours.