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Peer-reviewed article

Ethics of liver transplantation with living donors.

Liver transplantation involving only a portion of a liver from a cadaveric donor is now performed in several major centers worldwide. We propose to transplant a liver lobe from a living donor — the parent of the recipient — to a…

By John D. LantosJanuary 1, 19891 min readin The New England journal of medicine

Liver transplantation involving only a portion of a liver from a cadaveric donor is now performed in several major centers worldwide. We propose to transplant a liver lobe from a living donor — the parent of the recipient — to a noncritically ill infant with advanced liver disease. Although it is technically feasible, such transplantation of an organ from a living donor raises complex ethical issues involving the balance of risks and benefits, the selection of donor and recipient, and informed consent. This article describes the unique ethical aspects of liver transplantation with parents as living donors and describes our . . .

Originally published at The New England journal of medicine · January 1, 1989.

About the author

John D. Lantos is a pediatrician and bioethicist writing on AI in medicine, neonatal intensive care, and end-of-life decisions. His essays appear in JAMA, JAMA Pediatrics, the Hastings Center Report, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Aeon. Read more about John.

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