Tasha Lawson: PSC, Alzheimer's Review, and Split Liver Allocation
Tasha Lawson's paused liver transplant is reviewed after concealed Alzheimer's disease, then Nick proposes splitting the donor liver when another patient develops liver failure.
In Plain English
Tasha may still be able to receive part of the liver, but the team has to decide whether her Alzheimer's diagnosis, her wife's deception, and another patient's liver failure change who should receive the organ.
What Happened in the Episode
Nick proposes splitting the donor liver so Tasha receives the larger portion while Lisa receives a smaller graft.
Clinical Concept
Liver transplant committee review, Alzheimer's reassessment, donor liver preservation, and split liver allocation.
What ER Teams Would Evaluate
A real committee would review transplant eligibility, expected benefit, cognitive diagnosis, consent, urgency, organ viability, split-graft anatomy, and allocation rules.
Treatment and Management Overview
Management may include pausing surgery, preserving the liver, neurologic evaluation, committee review, allocation reassessment, and split-liver transplant planning.
What TV Gets Right
The episode makes transplant allocation a committee-level decision rather than a single surgeon's preference.
What TV Compresses
The episode compresses allocation policy, ethics review, machine perfusion details, graft splitting criteria, consent from both recipients, and documentation of candidacy decisions.
Sources and Further Reading
- iDRief catalog page
- Grey's Anatomy Universe Wiki - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For transcript
- Grey's Anatomy Universe Wiki - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking ForEPISODE
Supports: Supports Tasha's paused transplant, perfusion box, committee review, Alzheimer's re-evaluation, Lisa's competing liver failure, and split-liver proposal.
- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For transcriptEPISODE
Supports: Supports episode dialogue and scene context for Tasha Lawson's case.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia - Sclerosing cholangitisTIER 1
Supports: Supports general education about PSC and transplant in advanced disease.
- NCBI Bookshelf - Liver TransplantationTIER 2
Supports: Supports general education about liver transplantation and split liver transplant.
- iDRief catalog pageEPISODE
Supports: Supports episode-level evidence for this curated case.