Search results
Mar 24, 2020 · Living donor liver transplantation grew out of the use of segmental or split liver transplants from deceased donors. As those procedures showed success in the 1980s, transplant teams began considering living donation to provide a liver segment for a recipient.
- Overview
- Procedure Details
- Risks / Benefits
- Recovery and Outlook
A living donor liver transplant is a life-saving operation that allows a healthy volunteer to help someone they care about. You can take a piece of your healthy liver and donate it to someone in need. Both your piece and the transplanted piece will grow back to full size.
Contents
Arrow Down
OverviewProcedure DetailsRisks / BenefitsRecovery and Outlook
Contents
Arrow Down
What are the basic requirements to become a living liver donor?
When you volunteer to be a candidate, you’ll begin a process of thorough evaluation before you are approved. Your healthcare team will want to ensure: That you are between 18 and 60 years of age. Children and elders are not candidates. That you are in good physical condition for the surgery. Some health conditions may make the surgery unsafe for you, or raise the risk of complications to an unacceptable level. That your liver is in good health. Some people have liver disease without symptoms, and they don’t know it until someone takes a look at their liver. A donor liver needs to be free of disease. That you don’t have a habit or history of substance abuse. Alcohol and drugs affect the health of your liver. That you are in good mental and psychological health. Your team can’t accept your donation if they find that you are mentally or psychologically compromised. They’ll make sure that you fully understand the risks and the commitment involved and that you aren’t under any coercion. That you aren’t gaining financially by donating. It’s illegal to accept money or gifts in exchange for donating a piece of your liver. Your team needs to know that your offer is 100% free and voluntary. Advertisement
What are the criteria to donate to a specific person (“directed donation”)?
To be a match with a specific liver transplant recipient, you have to have a compatible blood type with theirs. Some blood types can only mix with the same blood type. Some can mix with certain other types, and some can mix with any other type. You can match your blood type with the recipient’s blood type in the chart below: Recipient Blood Type Donor Blood Type O O A A or O B B or O AB A, B, AB or O Recipient Blood Type O Donor Blood Type O A Donor Blood Type A or O B Donor Blood Type B or O AB Donor Blood Type A, B, AB or O When your blood type does not match with your recipient, you can participate in the Liver Paired Exchange program. This program was established to increase the opportunity for potential living liver donors who are approved to be liver donors but cannot donate their liver to their original intended recipient for various reasons. The program involves two incompatible pairs, which become compatible pairs by “swapping.”
Can I donate to someone I don’t know?
Yes. This is called a “non-directed donation" Once you have been approved as a living liver donor, the transplant hospital can match you with a stranger on the waiting list. Maybe your liver wasn’t a match for the specific person you were hoping to donate to, but it could help someone else in need. You can donate anonymously, or you can choose to meet your transplant recipient if both parties wish to meet.
What are the advantages to the recipient of having a living donor liver transplant?
They won’t die waiting for a deceased donor liver. They can have surgery sooner, before they become sicker. Living donor livers tend to be healthier than deceased donor livers. One less person on the waiting list means one more person also gets a liver.
What are the possible risks or complications of living liver donor surgery?
Any surgery performed under general anesthesia comes with certain general risks, including: Bleeding. Infection. Blood clots. Nerve damage. Paralytic ileus and constipation. Hernia at the incision site. Additional risks associated with liver surgery include: Damage to the bile ducts, causing bile leakage or bile duct scarring. A build-up of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites). Post-operative pneumonia. Post-operative fatigue. Failure of the donated liver.
Does donating part of your liver shorten your life?
Under normal circumstances, you don’t lose anything by donating a part of your liver. Your liver grows back to its normal size in a matter of weeks. The energy resources it uses to do this won’t shorten your life. The surgery itself is relatively safe, but there is always a small risk of complications or death. The risk of death to living liver donors is 1 in 500.
What is the recovery time for a living liver donor?
Full recovery takes an average of three to six months, depending on your age and general health. If you have laparoscopic surgery, your recovery time will be shorter and your wounds will heal faster.
How successful are living donor liver transplants?
The success rate for living donor liver transplants is around 90%, which is slightly higher than the rate for liver transplants overall (85%). Success means the recipient’s body accepted the liver, the liver was functional, both liver pieces regenerated to full size and both parties recovered from the surgery. A note from Cleveland Clinic If you’re considering becoming a living liver donor, you have a weighty decision before you with many variables to consider. It’s important to take as much time as you need to absorb all the information you’ll be presented with and to process all of the feelings involved. Make sure you fully understand the procedure, its potential risks and side effects, and the recovery process involved. Feel free to consult your transplant team with any additional questions and concerns as they arise. They’re here to help you make an informed and confident decision. Your team is entirely on your side, whatever you decide. Medically Reviewed Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 06/15/2022. Learn more about our editorial process.
Aug 15, 2022 · Living liver donor transplantation is a surgery that removes a diseased liver from one individual and replaces it with a portion of a healthy liver from a living donor. The liver is...
- Karen Veazey
With the low deceased donor volume, we embarked on exploring the potential of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Given the extensive complex hepatobiliary surgery expertise obtained through training at high-volume transplant center in the United States and South Korea, we were able to perform the first ALDLT independently in July 2015.
Live donor liver transplant is an excellent option for patients with liver cancer, primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cirrhosis and or patients that have symptoms of their liver disease and a MELD between 11-24.
Oct 3, 2023 · A Donor’s Guide to Living Donor Liver Transplant. Living organ donors allow thousands of patients to receive life-saving transplants every year. They give the gift of life to transplant candidates who may become too sick for a transplant or even die while waiting for an organ from a deceased donor. To reduce time spent on the waiting list ...
People also ask
What is a living liver donor transplant?
Where do liver transplants come from?
What is living liver donation?
Who is a donor and recipient of a liver transplant?
What happens during a living donor liver transplant?
How did living donor liver transplantation start?
Feb 5, 2024 · During a living donor liver transplant, a portion of a healthy person’s liver (the donor) is removed and transplanted into another person (the recipient) to replace their unhealthy liver. Both the donor’s and recipient’s liver will regrow over the next few months.
