The Transplant Patient: Biological, Psychiatric and Ethical Issues in Organ Transplantation

Organ transplantation is now an essential element of treatment for a wide range of diseases, but despite increasing surgical success rates there remain many other issues affecting selection of patients and clinical outcome with which clinicians and patients themselves must be familiar. This book reviews psychosocial, psychiatric and ethical aspects of organ transplantation in a uniquely authoritative way. Drawing heavily on the pioneering work of the Pittsburgh transplant team, it surveys the essentials of transplantation biology before engaging with a range of topics fundamental to the success of the procedure and the quality of life of recipients and donors alike. The interdisciplinary approach and the authority of the contributors will commend this book to a wide audience including those who select, support and advise transplant patients and their families, and to clinicians performing the procedures.