Living-donor transplant
About this test
A living-donor transplant is a surgical procedure to remove an organ or portion of an organ from a living person and place it in another person whose organ is no longer functioning properly. The popularity of living-organ donation has increased dramatically in recent years as an alternative to deceased-organ donation due to the growing need for organs for transplantation and shortage of available deceased-donor organs. More than 5,700 living-organ donations are reported each year in the United States.
Why it's done
Living-donor transplantation offers an alternative to waiting for a deceased-donor organ to become available for people in need of an organ transplant. In addition, living-donor organ transplants are associated with fewer complications than are deceased-donor transplants and, overall, a longer survival of the donor organ.
Risks and complications
The risks associated with living-donor organ donation include both short- and long-term health risks of the surgical procedures, problems with a donor's remaining organ function, and psychological problems following organ donation. For the organ recipient, the risk of transplant surgery is usually low because it is a potentially lifesaving procedure. But for the donor, organ donation can expose a healthy person to the risk of and recovery from unnecessary major surgery. Immediate, surgery-related risks of organ donation include pain, infection, hernia, bleeding, blood clots, wound complications and, in rare cases, death. Long-term follow-up information on living-organ donors is limited, and studies are ongoing. Overall, available data shows that organ donors fare very well over the long term. Donating an organ may also cause mental health issues, such as symptoms of anxiety and depression. The donated organ may not work properly in the recipient and cause feelings of regret, anger or resentment in the donor. The known health risks associated with living-organ donation vary according to the type of donation. To minimize risks, donors need to have extensive testing to ensure they're eligible to donate.
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