Benefits of receiving a liver from a living donor
When someone is told they need a liver transplant, speaking to family and friends about possible living donor liver transplantation can be difficult. People might think that waiting for a liver from a deceased donor is the better option, rather than have someone close to them go through an operation.
It is important to know the facts – a liver from a living donor typically offers better outcomes and family and friends may not know this. It is important that they do so that they can make an informed choice about what they want to do and make the best decision for themselves and the recipient.
Why consider living donor liver transplantation?
Liver transplantation is a very good treatment for people with liver failure. Ideally, everyone who is suitable for liver transplantation would receive a transplant but there are not enough organs for everyone to have the transplant they need at the right time.
Currently, around 650 people in the UK are waiting for a liver transplant. Around 1 in 10 people who are waiting either die before an organ becomes available or are removed from the transplant list because they become too sick to go through the operation.
Living donation can help to meet the need and allow liver transplantation to be offered at an earlier stage. It also enables more donor livers from people who have died available to other patients on the transplant list.
What are the outcomes like after living donor liver transplantation?
Living donor liver transplantation has been carried out in many countries, including the UK, for over 20 years and is a very successful, well-established option for transplantation.
Starting the assessment of a living donor early means that the transplant can be carefully planned for when the recipient is best placed to go through the operation itself. There are other advantages too – the living donor is carefully assessed so that we know it is as safe as possible for them to donate, and the recipient knows exactly what they can expect from the liver they will receive.
The operations can also be planned so there is a very short time that the liver is outside the human body. This means that a liver from a living donor tends to be the best for providing good long-term outcomes for the recipient.
What are the risks to the donor?
Transplant teams understand that it is difficult for someone to consider undergoing an operation for someone else's benefit. The risks to donors are relatively low, but every donor undergoes a thorough assessment to check that it is safe to donate and they understand any individual risk to them.
It can help to speak to people who have already donated and those who have received a liver from a living donor. It is important to remember that people who volunteer to donate really want to get the best possible outcome for the recipient. They may also take comfort in knowing that they have done everything possible to help them. Having all of the facts can help everyone to come to the best decision for them.
