Patients are offered livers based on their blood type, body size, how long they have been waiting, and how critically ill they are. Currently, organs are offered first to patients in the area of the country where they are donated. The majority of liver transplants performed in the United States and Europe use the livers from cadaveric organ donors. These are people who have died, and through the generosity of their family members, their organs are donated When such a donor is identified, transplant centers are contacted by a computer network and arrangements are made to retrieve whatever organs may be donated. Frequently this involves a team from a transplant center flying to the donor hospital to remove the organs, and then returning with them for the transplant operation.
Liver transplant is the most expensive organ transplant.
A majority of liver transplants are paid by private funds or insurance. Currently patients are waiting an average of one year. Some patients have a shorter wait, some longer. National data show that women do wait longer than men for liver transplants. Children wait longer that adult patients, and some ethnic groups in the United States, including Asians and Hispanics, wait longer that Caucasians, Native Americans, or African-Americans.