What you need to know about living liver donation
The liver is an incredible organ and has the ability to regenerate cells and heal itself if it experiences injury or, in the case of living liver donation, tissue loss. In fact, it can heal itself so efficiently that it can completely regenerate in six to eight weeks after a liver donation surgery.
During a living donor liver transplant, part of a donor’s liver is transplanted into the recipient to replace the unhealthy liver. Because the liver can regenerate cells, both the donor’s and recipient’s livers will then grow back over the course of weeks or months after surgery.
Who needs a liver transplant?
Liver transplants are usually only considered for people who have chronic or end-stage conditions that affect how the liver functions. Some examples of medical conditions that may lead to liver transplantation include:
- Acute liver failure
- Bile duct cancer
- Cirrhosis
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (cancer that starts in the liver cells)
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis (a disease that scars the bile ducts in the liver)
- Wilson’s disease
What happens during liver transplantation?
Liver transplant procedures can be complex—taking 5 to 10 hours to complete. During surgery, the transplant team:
- Makes an incision in the upper abdomen
- Removes the diseased liver
- Implants healthy tissue from the donor’s liver
- Connects the new liver to blood vessels and bile ducts
For donor surgery, surgeons remove a portion of the donor’s liver. This is done through an incision in the abdomen while the donor is under general anesthesia. The exact amount of liver removed depends on the needs of both the recipient and the donor.
After surgery, donors can expect:
- A hospital stay of three to five days
- Activity restrictions for six to eight weeks
The remaining liver will regenerate over time. Donors are closely monitored with follow-up visits at one to two weeks, one month, three months, six months, and annually for two years after surgery.
Both donors and recipients will also have regular blood work to ensure the liver is functioning properly. The care team will monitor surgical incisions and overall recovery to support safe healing and long-term success.
Who qualifies to be a living liver donor?
Anyone who wants to give the gift of life through living liver donation goes through an extensive screening process to make sure they’re healthy enough to donate. Even if a donor meets the requirements of living liver donation, they can withdraw their consent to donate at any time up to surgery, for any reason, and their information will be kept confidential through the entire process. General requirements for living liver donation include:
- Being between 18 and 60 years old
- No history of substance abuse
- In good physical health and fit for surgery
- Have a healthy liver
- Are mentally and psychologically healthy and understand the risk and commitment involved in surgery
- Are not receiving any financial gains by donating
What are the benefits of living liver donation?
According to the American Liver Foundation, there are more than 14,000 people in the U.S. who are waitlisted for a liver transplant and the need for livers currently exceeds the number of available organs. Living liver donation typically reduces wait times for recipients and gives donors, recipients, and caregivers the time to plan for surgery and postoperative care. It also:
- Reduces the risk of a recipient's liver condition worsening
- Often leads to quicker recovery
- Saves more lives by allowing the next person on the transplant waitlist to receive a deceased donor transplant
Contact us
For more information about the living donor liver program at the WashU Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center, call 314-362-5376.