The way liver transplants are assigned through the NHS is causing younger patients to wait much longer for their surgeries, according to new data.
Age disparities in liver transplants
Because there aren't enough liver donors to meet the demand, an algorithm decides who gets priority on the transplant list. Right now, younger patients have to wait an average of 156 days more than patients over 60 for a transplant.
The NHS Blood and Transplant team explained that they make tough choices to save as many lives as possible using this system. In the UK, there are about 700 people waiting for a liver transplant at any given time. This number changes as new patients are added, and some receive their transplants. Tragically, some patients don't get a transplant in time, and last year 69 people passed away while waiting for a liver.
Algorithmic bias
In 2018, a new algorithm was introduced by the NHS to try and reduce the number of deaths while people are waiting for transplants. This algorithm focuses on giving transplants to those who are at the highest mortality risk, and often, those tend to be older patients.
It does this by looking at 21 different factors about the person receiving the transplant, including their age and how severe their illness is. It also considers seven factors about the potential donor. From this, it then calculates a score, with the highest scores corresponding to the shortest waiting times.
Age gap liver waiting time continues to widen
It's worth mentioning that younger patients have always had to wait longer for liver transplants. Before the program, people aged 26 to 39 would wait around 172 days on average – which was about 40 days more than patients over 60. That gap has now widened to 156 days.