How Living Donor Liver Transplants Can Change Lives

Patients often have to wait months or even years before an organ is available to them. That’s because most organ donations for organ transplants come from deceased donors. But did you know that living donor liver transplantation can make a difference? Leina Alrabadi, MD, pediatric transplant hepatologist at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, answers commonly asked questions about what it means to be a living donor.

What is living donor liver transplantation?

Living donor liver transplantation is when you donate part of your liver and give it to someone in need. Then, over time, your liver will grow back and regenerate. The same thing happens in the recipient who receives your liver.

Why is living donor liver transplantation so impactful and important?

In the United States, there remains a critical shortage of organs. There are about 10,000 people in the U.S. on the waitlist for liver transplant, of which 500 are children. Living donor liver transplantation helps reduce wait times for these critically ill patients. Studies have also shown that children receiving a liver from a living donor have higher survival rates, a lower risk of rejection, and a reduced need for re-transplantation. In short, the process saves more lives.

Who is qualified to be a living donor?

Any healthy person between 18 and 60 years old can volunteer to be a living donor. They would go through a medical evaluation with a variety of specialists to ensure that living transplantation is beneficial and not risky for both the donor and the recipient. Some of what’s evaluated are:

Physical health

Liver health

Psychological and mental health

The evaluation also determines whether the donor and recipient are a good match to each other.

What is the recovery time like for the donor?

After surgery, a donor is usually in the hospital for about one week. Thereafter, it takes about six to eight weeks to recover and resume normal activity.

Living donor transplantation is a true act of kindness. If you or someone you know is interested in a living donation, please reach out to the Stanford Children’s pediatric liver transplant team.