Women hugging

How Liver Donation Works

How Living Liver Donation Works

Roughly 4.5 million American adults have liver disease. And nearly 10,000 are waiting on a liver transplant. Unfortunately, the number of people awaiting a liver transplant has been greater than the supply of deceased donor livers for decades.

As a liver donor, you can help someone before they get seriously sick. At Emory Healthcare, our expert transplant surgeons offer this procedure to patients with liver disease, regardless of their MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score.

Here’s what you need to know about being a living liver donor.

How Liver Transplant Works

The Benefits of Living Donor Liver Donation

Your liver is your only solid organ that can regenerate. That means you can donate up to half of your liver to someone who needs a transplant. After surgery, your liver and the recipient’s new partial liver will grow nearly to full size within three months. Compared to liver transplants from deceased donors, living donor liver transplants offer several benefits:

  • Livers from living donors are more likely to survive and immediately start working after transplantation.
  • Livers from living donors work better. They also have greater long-term success than livers from deceased donors.
  • Living donation shortens wait times for recipients.

How To Become a Living Liver Donor

You may want to donate part of your liver to a loved one or friend. Or you may want to help someone who is sick. Either way, registration is the first step to becoming a living liver donor. One of our transplant team representatives will call you within two days after you register.

If you are approved as a donor, we will schedule the transplant within four to six weeks. Scheduling the procedure so far out gives you plenty of time to prepare and plan your recovery.

Register To Be a Living Liver Donor
If you would like to become a living liver donor, the first step in the process is to register.

What To Expect from Living Donor Liver Surgery

Before surgery, our transplant surgeons calculate the amount of your liver that you can donate. After surgery, you and the recipient need enough liver to maintain normal body functions.

You will be under general anesthesia during transplant surgery, so you will not feel or remember anything. During the procedure, you and the recipient will be in operating rooms next to each other.

Your surgery will start first. Your surgeon will divide your liver. Once they remove part of your liver, the recipient’s surgery team will immediately transplant it into the recipient.

After surgery, you will stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for monitoring and recovery. Most donors stay in the hospital for three to seven days. A full recovery usually takes six to eight weeks. During that time, you will have several check-ups with your doctor.

Surgery Risks During a Liver Donation

Transplant surgery comes with risks. As a liver donor, you may experience: 

  • Allergic reactions to anesthesia
  • Bile leakage or bile duct problems
  • Bleeding that may require a transfusion
  • Blood clots
  • Hernia
  • Infection
  • Nausea
  • Organ damage
  • Pain and discomfort
  • Pneumonia
  • Scar tissue formation
In rare cases, liver failure can occur. If this happens, you may need a liver transplant.

Recovery from Donating Your Liver

Recovering from transplant surgery takes up to eight weeks. During that time, you will need to:
  • Follow up with your transplant team for routine check-ups and lab tests
  • Limit lifting for the first several weeks
  • Slowly return to your normal activities
  • Walk several times a day

Your transplant team is always available if you experience any complications.
Requirements To Be a Living Liver Donor
To be a living liver donor, you must fulfill many requirements. You will also need to take several tests. After your tests are complete, our liver transplant team will discuss your results in a private conference. They will determine your risk level and decide if you and the recipient are a good match. Then, we will schedule your surgery.

  • Potential donors should:

    • Avoid alcohol consumption until fully recovered
    • Be able, ready and willing to follow instructions
    • Be between the ages of 18 and 55
    • Be in good health with no significant medical or psychiatric conditions
    • Commit to pre-donation evaluation, surgery and recovery
    • Have a blood type that is compatible with the recipient
    • Have health insurance
    • Have healthy liver and kidney function
    • Have no history of cancer, diabetes, HIV, liver disease, pulmonary hypertension or other heart, kidney or lung conditions
    • Maintain a healthy body weight
    • Not be pregnant
    • Not smoke for at least six weeks before surgery
    • Not use drugs
    • Stay off birth control for at least six weeks before and after surgery

  • To make sure donation is safe, our surgeons may ask some potential donors to complete extra steps. This may happen if you:

    • Are older than 50
    • Have a body mass index (BMI) over 30
    • Have a first-degree relative with certain types of liver disease
    • Have a history of substance abuse

  • One of our liver specialists will be your donor advocate during surgery and recovery. They will meet with you and walk you through several tests to ensure you are healthy enough to donate.
    Your physical and mental exams will include:

    • Assessment by a social worker to review your plans for post-transplant care
    • Medical history and physical exam to rule out medical conditions
    • Psychiatric evaluation to make sure you can handle the physical and emotional changes that come with liver donation
    • Surgical evaluation by a living donor liver surgeon
  • You will need to complete other physical tests after we confirm your blood type. These include:
    • Blood tests to detect transmittable diseases, underlying liver disease or other conditions that make liver donation unsafe
    • Cardiac stress test
    • Colonoscopy
    • Echocardiogram (to check your heart’s function and structure)
    • Electrocardiogram (to monitor your heart’s electrical impulses)
    • Liver biopsy
    • Pap tests for female patients
    • Pulmonary function test
    • Urine test

  • We use imaging tests to assess the health of your liver tissue. These images include:

    • Abdominal CT or MRI with IV contrast (to check your liver’s blood supply and determine how much you can safely donate)
    • Chest X-rays to examine your lungs
    • Mammogram for female patients
    • Ultrasound to examine your liver and surrounding organs and tissues

Find an Emory Doctor

Emory Healthcare doctors provide specialized treatment and research the latest advancements.

View Emory Physician Profiles

Explore our Network

To expand your options, explore our network of providers throughout Atlanta and the surrounding counties.

 

event_available

Make an Appointment with Emory Transplant Services

Make an appointment online or call 404-778-7777 to schedule an appointment.