Live Liver Donation Frequently Asked Questions

 

A. Advantages include: 

 

A. While the results of adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation throughout the world are very good, the procedure is not without risk to the donor. Risks for any surgical procedure could be due to the use of general anesthesia and could include possible bleeding, wound healing problems, infection, and postoperative complications such as blood clots. Risks specific to this type of procedure include the risk of a liver injury or bile duct complications.

 

 

A. Through the medical miracle of live-donor liver transplantation, people do not have to be blood related and any healthy person can give a friend or relative the gift of life. Because the liver is capable of regeneration, or expanding, the donor’s liver will return to almost 90 percent of its original size within a few weeks and there is no long-term impairment of liver function. Potential donors should be in relatively good health and should not have any major medical or psychiatric illness.

 

 

A. The UW Transplant staff carefully reviews each person’s situation to see if they are a suitable donor. Donors should be in good health, physically, emotionally, and mentally, and of an appropriate age. Certain medical problems could make a donor candidate ineligible.

 

A donor can come to the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) for a consultation at the same time as the recipient’s evaluation. Blood samples will be drawn from the donor to ensure compatibility. If the donor is acceptable, a medical work-up of the donor will need to be completed at a later date.

 

Potential live liver donors are educated on the risks associated with surgery, hospitalization, and recovery. The surgery to remove the portion of a donor’s liver takes about 5 hours and the donor stays in the hospital for about seven days.

 

 

A. The recipient's insurance or Medicare pays for all donor medical expenses. Travel costs and time away from work are often not covered by insurance and need to be considered. In the state of Wisconsin, donors may subtract up to $10,000 from their federal adjusted gross income for these costs on their state income tax form. An employee of the state of Wisconsin may also receive 30 days paid leave of absence for donating a solid organ.

 

 

A. The donor will be seen for one follow-up visit by a UW surgeon. After that, as with all individuals, donors should have routine annual medical exams with their local doctor. For a kidney donor, this exam should include blood pressure and urinalysis screening. There are no special diets or medicines that need to be taken after liver donation.