A grant entitled, “Living Donor Liver Transplant: Is It a Cost-Effective Option for Children in Need of Transplantation,” from Amy Feldman, MD (Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition), was given a Mid-Level Career Development Award from the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) Foundation. Over the last five years, Children’s Hospital Colorado (working in partnership with Dr. Elizabeth Pomfret and the liver transplant team at the Department of Surgery) has been the leading center for pediatric living donor liver transplant and the leading center for pediatric non-directed living donor liver transplant across the country.
In this grant, Dr. Feldman and Dr. Pomfret will collect lacking cost data to hopefully demonstrate that living donor liver transplant is cost-effective compared to deceased donation. The hope is that this additional data will help increase access to living donor liver transplant for all children across the country in need. With the ultimate goal is for living donor liver transplant to eliminate any pediatric deaths on the US liver transplant waitlist.
