'60 percent of liver transplants done in China not successful’

'60 percent of liver transplants done in China not successful’

By ARAB NEWS

Published: Mar 6, 2011 00:15 Updated: Mar 6, 2011 00:15

RIYADH: There is an alarming increase in the number of failed liver transplants involving Saudis in China, said a leading Saudi expert in liver transplants, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.
“More than 60 percent of such liver transplants in China involving Saudis have ended in failure,” said Dr. Muhammad Al-Subayyil, head of liver transplants at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh.

Al-Subayyil made the comments while addressing a conference on the subject organized by King Faisal University students at the King Faisal Charity Foundation in Riyadh on Thursday.
Al-Subayyil said the failures were mainly because of unsuitable organs. “In most cases, the liver that is transplanted has been removed from the donor’s body after his or her heart stops functioning. This produces a direct impact on the liver,” he added.
Referring to the Organ Transplant Program at King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Dr. Al-Subayyil said that about 300 liver transplants have been conducted at the hospital since the launch of the program in 1994.

“One-third of these transplants were conducted after organs were received from live donors. The number of liver transplants at the hospital has considerably increased over the past few years. We are expected to carry out as many as 70 transplants this year alone,” he said.
Al-Subayyil also said that the proposed King Abdullah Center for Tumors and Liver Diseases is expected to be operational within the coming three years. “The center will be a major boost to treat and prevent liver diseases in the Kingdom,” he said, adding that some 5-10 percent of Saudis suffer from various liver diseases.

Identifying liver diseases as a major national problem, Al-Subayyil said the main challenge lies in a lack of donors. “About 10 percent of patients who died in the Kingdom last month were those waiting for liver transplants,” he said.

Farouq Al-Zouman, the first Saudi to climb Mt. Everest, also attended the conference. Al-Zouman delivered a lecture on the development of human resources and self esteem.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article302465.ece