Medical science has made it possible to take a kidney or part of a liver from one person and transplant it into another. The people who donate part of themselves (the donor) to save the life or improve the quality of life of another (the recipient) commit an act of great compassion and generosity. Often, the recipient is a family member or beloved friend. Sometimes, the donor is a good Samaritan who has learned of a need and steps forward to fulfill it. In either case, you are giving the gift of life.
A living donation provides significant benefits – the recipient does not have to wait as long for a suitable organ to become available and a living donor organ improves the success rate of organ transplantation.
This online resource is a general overview. For more detailed information, consult our Living Donor Guide.
Requirements
Donors must be in excellent health, between the ages of 21 and 60, able to understand the risks and possible complications involved with transplant surgery and willing to undergo the evaluation. Donors are not eligible if they have diabetes, hypertension, heart disease or other serious medical problems, and they cannot have a BMI (body mass index) rating above 35.
- Your decision to donate an organ is a personal matter – it should be motivated by your own ideas, without influence from others. You can change your mind at any time during the process.
- There is a greater chance of success if the organ comes from a living donor.
- People wait a long time for a transplant from a deceased donor, up to several years. A living donor transplant can be scheduled in advance.It is a relatively safe procedure that has been available for decades.
The Living Donation Transplant Journey
Step 1: Evaluation
Step 2: Surgery
Step 3: Life after Donation
A series of steps are used to see if you are able to donate. Each step is designed for us to learn more about your health as well as give you more time to think through this important decision. The evaluation may take several weeks to complete. The Transplant Team reviews all cases on an individual basis to determine suitability of the donor and recipient.
Evaluation Testing
- Generally, you can be considered for living donation if you are:
- Age 21 or older,
- Not pregnant at the time of donation
- In good general health
- Have a compatible blood type (or qualify for an incompatible donor program, which expands the possibility of cross-match)
In addition to these general considerations, a potential donor undergoes a series of tests to determine the viability of the intended transplant. The donor evaluation includes:
- Initial History & Physical
- Informed Consent Acknowledgement
- Anesthesia History & Physical
- Social Work Consultation
- Financial Counseling
- Psychological/Psychiatric Evaluation
- Extensive Blood Tests
- Echocardiogram/Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG)
- Pulmonary Function Test (PFT)
- Helical/Spiral CT Angiogram
- Arteriogram
- Transplant Committee Review
You can change your mind at any time. If you change your mind, your loved one will remain on the transplant list. Your decision to stop the evaluation will never be discussed with anyone.
- You will be admitted to the hospital the night before or the morning of the surgery.
- The surgery is three to four hours long.
- Your surgery and the recipient's surgery will be scheduled for the same time.
- During the surgery, you will be asleep.
After Surgery
Recipients go to the Transplant Intensive Care Unit and the donor goes to the Post-Anesthesia care unit then to the Transplant Telemetry Unit.
Complications are unusual, but surgery has risks, including bleeding, infection, pain, and death.
You may be given medicines for pain and infection as needed. Medicines will not be needed on a long term basis. Full recovery, depending on your pain tolerance and activity level, normally takes 2 to 3 weeks for kidney donation and 4 to 6 weeks for liver donation. You will be able to return to work as soon as you recover. There will be post surgery limitations on driving, lifting and exercise until you are released from the transplant doctor's care.
What if the donated organ is rejected?
We evaluate each donor – recipient match carefully, and many steps are used to assure that rejection is kept to a minimum, but loss of the donor organ can still occur despite our best efforts. Just remember that if the donated organ is rejected, it is not your fault.
It’s your decision – consider your choice carefully
Living donation allows University Transplant Center to transplant more patients in a timely manner; provide options for our patients and their families; and decrease the number of people waiting on the transplant list. After all the exams are completed, whether you become a donor or choose not to donate, the fact that you are considering donation is a true act of unselfishness. Remember, we are here for you.
We can set up as many meetings as you need to talk with the Transplant Nurse Coordinator, Transplant Nephrologist, Transplant Surgeon or Transplant Social Worker. Also, we may be able to arrange a meeting with another living donor so you can talk with someone who has experienced the process of living donation.
For more detailed information about living organ donation, download our patient guide. It’s an act of courage and love to consider giving part of your liver or a kidney – thank you.
