Living-Donor Liver Transplant in Oman: A Quantitative Cross-Sectional Study of Donors’ Experiences and Challenges

Abstract

Background. In Oman, the first liver transplant was performed at the Royal Hospital (RH) in September 2017. Since then, thirteen cases have been operated on at the RH. All of these cases were living-donor liver transplants (LDLT), and the remaining cases were treated in India with a total of approximately 193 recipients. To provide an in-depth overview of donor experiences, challenges, and perceptions, a cross-sectional study was conducted. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted at one tertiary hospital in 2019. The survey was designed to collect data composed of closed and open-ended questions to reveal a thorough knowledge of the topic. Results. A total of 50 of 120 donors responded to the survey with male dominance in the sample (68%) and 64% were aged 28 to 38 years. 66% of the respondents came to know about the donation through hospital staff. Interestingly, respondents (n = 8/12) who reported that fear of operation is the cause that prevents people from donating are among the male gender, while more men believe that the main cause is lack of knowledge. 90% of the respondents felt satisfied after donation. More men reported ambiguous feelings before donation. Moreover, married donors reported ambiguous feelings before donation (p = 0.008). The younger age group reported anxiety and doubt as a challenge through their donation experience. Conclusion. This study revealed that donors have a positive feeling after donating as they have saved a life, as well as being empowered by family and community. The donors encourage individuals to donate a portion of their liver. Some crucial questions arose, such as anxiety before surgery, ambiguous feelings before surgery, and fatigue after surgery. These findings underscore the importance of a holistic approach that would enable donors to be well informed prior to surgery.

Predictors of survival among patients with chronic hepatitis C at a tertiary care center in Oman

“…Although patients with end-stage liver disease, terminal illness, or those receiving palliative care who were lost to follow-up for over 3 years were considered deceased, it is possible that some survived after undergoing liver transplantation elsewhere, particularly in light of the high frequency of medical tourism as well as the fact that liver transplant service was not available in the country until post-2017 onwards, which could have resulted in patients choosing to seek treatment abroad. [ 11 41 42 ] However, this was not possible to verify and it should be noted that estimated survival for such patients is less than 6 months and they are not suitable candidates for liver transplantation. Moreover, there are currently only three tertiary centers in Oman able to provide care for patients with decompensated liver disease.…”

Pediatric and adult liver transplantation in Bahrain: The experiences in a country with no available liver transplant facilities

“…Moreover, some Gulf Cooperation Council countries and neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, have provided this surgical service for the public for many years[ 9 - 7 ]. Other countries have recently started developing their capabilities to provide LT services, such as Kuwait and Oman[ 10 , 11 ]. In Bahrain, an arrangement was made with multiple overseas LT centers from countries including Turkey, India, and Saudi Arabia, whereby they agreed to take care of patients from Bahrain.…”