Three children and a man are being treated for liver failure at the Essen University Hospital. They had eaten death cap mushroom, which can be fatal. Will life-saving donor organs be found?
Three children and one adult continue to receive intensive care at the Essen University Hospital for acute liver failure after eating death cap mushrooms. A spokeswoman did not provide any information on Thursday about the condition of the patients or whether a donor organ for a liver transplant had been found for those affected – and referred to personal rights. According to the university hospital, the three children between the ages of five and 15 were admitted to the children’s clinic on Tuesday night in life-threatening condition and urgently needed an emergency transplant, as the clinic announced immediately afterwards. The father of one of the children is also being treated.
According to the German Liver Foundation, in such urgent cases (High Urgency/HU), the top priority is to search for suitable donor livers in Europe. Size or blood type played a role, said the foundation’s general manager, Markus Cornberg, of the German Press Agency. “This HU listing is initially valid for two weeks, during which time an organ is usually found.” In such urgent cases, a transplant usually takes place within hours or within two to three days. However, it is more difficult to find a suitable liver for children. The problem is often the size of the organ. “Therefore the waiting time may be longer here.”
The expert explained that a liver can also be divided between two people, which is called a “split liver”. In a high-urgency situation, however, this is usually not considered as the first option. Because you then have to have two suitable candidates at the same time. According to the Liver Foundation, around 800 livers are transplanted every year, but the demand is more than twice as high.
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