State of Donation

1) Gordon Bridewell, the longest surviving liver transplant recipient turned 70 last week. Almost 40 years after his transplant.

2) Baylor Health Care live tweeted a heart transplant this week:

3) Spain is the world leader on organ donation. Spain’s transplant law presumes consent unless otherwise stated. Families always have the final say and that the only country in the world to enforce such a rule is Singapore.

4) An alternative to liver transplantation: Called hepatocyte transplantation, the technique replaces approximately 10 percent of the liver with healthy cells from a deceased donor. The patient’s organ is not removed, decreasing recovery time, complications and cost. With fewer than 150 U.S. recipients so far, the approach is in its early days.