How living liver donors shorten wait times for those needing a transplant

For many people, waiting on a liver transplant can take years on the current wait list. The traditional organ donor model of waiting on a deceased donor’s organ to match the recipient has created significant wait times for those in desperate need of a new liver. Why? Because there simply aren’t enough organ donors for the people who need organs.

But for people on the wait list for a liver donor, there’s another option—living liver donors.

¿Cómo funciona la donación de hígado en vida?

Transplant physicians are encouraging those on the wait list to find a living donor who is deemed a good candidate and is willing to donate part of their liver to the recipient. Within about three weeks of the transplant, the donor liver can generate new tissue and regrow to its original size.

There are a number of benefits to using a living donor for a liver transplant:

• Un hígado de donante vivo es el hígado de mejor calidad para el trasplante.
• El uso de un donante vivo elimina el largo tiempo de espera asociado con una lista de espera nacional de donantes fallecidos.
• El uso inmediato de un hígado de donante vivo maximiza la posibilidad de que el receptor reciba un trasplante antes de que la condición empeore.
• La cirugía se puede programar a conveniencia del donante y del receptor.

The surgery is complex and requires expertise and experience. According to statistics from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network of the US Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 500 living donor liver transplants have been performed to date in Texas, and the national total is almost 10,000.

¿Quién puede ser donante de órganos en vida?

Living donors may be relatives, loved ones or friends of the recipient, or even someone they do not know. They should be 18 to 60 years old, in good health, have a compatible blood type and want to make the liver donation without outside pressure. The donor’s medical expenses typically are covered by the recipient’s medical benefits.

According to the US Health Resources & Services Administration nearly 105,000 people of all ages are on the national transplant waiting list. Livers are the second-most awaited transplant, with nearly 10,500 people on the waiting list in 2023. Kidneys are, by far, the most-needed organs on the waiting list.

Giuliano Testa, MD, jefe de trasplante abdominal en el Centro Médico de la Universidad de Baylor, dijo que la cantidad de donantes vivos se ha mantenido constante durante más de una década, pero la cantidad de personas que necesitan un trasplante de hígado ha aumentado a medida que los baby boomers alcanzan la edad de jubilación.

“Los pacientes con posibles donantes vivos de hígado deben considerar este enfoque porque el procedimiento se ha convertido en una opción quirúrgica comprobada para aquellos que necesitan un trasplante de hígado”, dijo el Dr. Testa.

If you or a loved one is in need of a liver transplant, you don’t have to face this journey alone. Learn more about living donor liver transplants today.