Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Transplant Institute, Tufts University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Am J Transplant. 2024 Oct;24(10):1742-1754. doi: 10.1016/j.ajt.2024.05.012. Epub 2024 May 18.
After 2 decades of limited growth, living donor liver transplant (LDLT) has been increasingly accepted as a promising solution to the growing organ shortage in the US. With experience, LDLT offers superior graft and patient survival with low rates of rejection. However, not all waitlisted patients have equal access to LDLT, with financial toxicity representing a substantial barrier. Potential living liver donors face indirect, direct, and opportunity costs associated with donation as well as insurance-based discrimination and variable employer leave policies. There are multiple potential national, local, and patient-centered solutions to address some of the cost-related issues associated with living LDLT. These include standardization of employer leave policies, creation of federal and state-led tax relief programs, optimization of National Living Donor Assistance Center use, engagement of independent living donor advocates, creation of financial toolkits, and encouragement of recipient or donor-led fundraising. In this piece, members of the North American Living Liver Donation Group, a consortium of 37 LDLT programs, explore these financial challenges and discuss solutions to achieve financial neutrality, where individuals can donate free from financial constraints or gains. As a community, it is imperative that we confront factors driving financial toxicity to improve equity and access to LDLT.
在经历了 20 年的缓慢增长之后,活体供肝移植(LDLT)逐渐被视为解决美国器官短缺问题的一种有前途的解决方案。随着经验的积累,LDLT 提供了优越的移植物和患者存活率,排斥反应率较低。然而,并非所有等待名单上的患者都能平等地获得 LDLT,因为经济毒性是一个实质性的障碍。潜在的活体肝供体面临着与捐赠相关的间接、直接和机会成本,以及基于保险的歧视和可变的雇主休假政策。有多种潜在的国家、地方和以患者为中心的解决方案可以解决与活体 LDLT 相关的一些成本问题。这些包括雇主休假政策的标准化、联邦和州领导的税收减免计划的创建、国家活体供体援助中心使用的优化、独立活体供体倡导者的参与、金融工具包的创建以及鼓励受者或供者主导的筹款。在这篇文章中,北美活体肝供体捐赠组织的成员,一个由 37 个 LDLT 项目组成的联盟,探讨了这些经济挑战,并讨论了解决方案,以实现经济中立,使个人可以在没有经济限制或收益的情况下自由捐赠。作为一个社区,我们必须正视导致经济毒性的因素,以改善 LDLT 的公平性和可及性。