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ORGAN
DONATION
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ical therapies. Until then, liver transplantation remains one of the most
effective life-saving therapies for advanced liver disease.

What Healthcare Providers Can Do to Help Patients
with Liver Disease
Many liver diseases are treatable and even reversible if diagnosed
early. The earliest indicators of liver disease are elevated liver enzymes
or a platelet count below the lower limit of normal.
All patients with cirrhosis should be referred to hepatologists affiliated
with a transplant program as early in the disease course as possible to
allow for the best long-term outcomes. This results in treatment, proper
cancer surveillance, symptom management, cutting edge research op-
portunities, and if needed, early evaluation for liver transplantation.
Figure 2: Axial CT image of example of right lobe that would be donated.
Borhani A.A. https://doi. org/10.1148/rg2021210012 References:
1. Paul, CN (2008). "Skin grafting in burns." Wounds 20(7): 199-
202
2. Sharma, S, et al. (2022). "A brief history of liver transplantation and
transplant anesthesia." BMC Anesthesiol 22(1): 363
3. Kwong, AJ, et al. (2021). "Correcting the sex disparity in access
to liver transplantation: Lest perfect be the enemy of better." Am
J Transplant 21(10): 3217-3218
4. Jackson, WE, et al. (2022). "Survival Benefit of Living-Donor
Liver Transplant." JAMA Surg 157(10): 926-932
5. Ros, J, et al. (2023). "Liver transplantation in metastatic colorec-
tal cancer: are we ready for it?" Br J Cancer 128(10): 1797-1806
6. Mathurin, P and MR Lucey (2020). "Liver transplantation in pa-
tients with alcohol-related liver disease: current status and future
directions." Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 5(5): 507-514

Fred Poordad, MD, is Chief of Hepatology for the
Figure 3: University Health Transplant Institute Survival Statistics University Health Transplant Institute located in San
*Single organ transplants performed between 07/01/2020 and 12/31/2022
**Single organ transplants performed between 01/01/2018 and 03/12/2020 & 06/13/2020 and Antonio’s University Hospital. He is Vice President of
06/30/2020
Reference: srtr.org (January 9, 2024) Academic and Clinical Affairs and co-founder of the Texas
Liver Institute, and spent 11 years as the Chief of Hepatology
at Cedars Sinai Medical Center prior to joining the Liver In-
In addition to having a unique single-day multi-disciplinary liver can-
stitute in 2012. Dr. Poordad sits on many national committees for the
cer evaluation, University Health Transplant Institute is performing
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the American
combined transplant-bariatric procedures and transplanting select col-
College of Gastroenterology. He has authored over 300 papers and book
orectal metastases and acute alcohol-associated liver injury cases. To
chapters, and is internationally recognized for his work in liver disease re-
expand the cadaveric donor pool, DCD donors are being utilized with
search and teaching. Dr. Poordad also serves as a Clinical Professor of Med-
great success using ex vivo perfusion therapy technology.
icine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio,

The Future and is a member of the Bexar County Medical Society.

Innovations have not stopped in the field of liver disease and trans-
Corrie Berk is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and
plantation. With direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies for hepatitis
serves as the Director of Hepatology & Transplant Outreach Pro-
C, allowing clearance of viral infection before and after transplantation,
grams at the Texas Liver Institute. Clinically, she practices with
research is now focusing on eradication of chronic hepatitis B, effective
the Austin team and at outreach clinics.
treatments for steatotic liver disease and antifibrotics. This will help re-
serve transplant for those who cannot be successfully treated with med-

16 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • February 2024 Visit us at www.bcms.org 17