Futility and poor outcomes are not the same thing: A clinical perspective of refined outcomes definitions in liver transplantation

• Published in: Liver transplantation Vol. 30; no. 4; pp. 421 - 430
• Main Authors: Rolak, Stacey, Elhawary, Ahmed, Diwan, Tayyab, Watt, Kymberly D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-04-2024
• Subjects: Humans; Liver Transplantation - adverse effects; Medical Futility
• ISSN: 1527-6465; 1527-6473; 1527-6473
• DOI: 10.1097/LVT.0000000000000331

The term "futility" in liver transplantation is used inappropriately and inaccurately, as it is frequently applied to patient populations with suboptimal outcomes that are often not truly "futile." The term "futile" is used interchangeably with poor outcomes. Not all poor outcomes fulfill a definition of futility when considering all viewpoints. Definitions of "futility" are variable throughout the medical literature. We review futility in the context of liver transplantation, encompassing various viewpoints, with a goal to propose focused outcome definitions, including futility, that encompass broader viewpoints, and improve the utilization of "futility" to truly futile situations, and improve communication between providers and patients/families. Focused, appropriate definitions will help the transplant community develop better models to more accurately predict and avoid futile transplants, and better predict an individual patient's posttransplant outcome.