Liver transplantation in children: update 2010

Abstract

Pediatric liver transplant recipients represent an important target population for primary care health professionals as well as transplant practitioners. With improving patient and graft survival, new concerns now face health care professionals caring for the transplant community, namely the long-term complications of immunosuppressive therapy and the potential for withdrawal of immunosuppression, transplant recipients' quality of life, and the persistent shortage of donor organs leading to morbidity and mortality on the waiting list. These issues require constant collaboration between pediatricians, transplant hepatologists, transplant surgeons, nurses, dieticians, social workers, psychologists, and other supporting services.