Adults on liver transplant lists currently wait many months for a cadaver liver transplant. Unfortunately, the number of patients waiting far exceeds the number of cadaver donations per year. Hence patients deteriorate while on the waiting list, and many will die before they get a cadaver liver transplant.
Our Transplant programme encourages patients and their families to consider the possibility of living donor liver transplant. This is an important option to help meet this organ shortage.
As with any major surgery there are risks. For this procedure, these include
These risks will be fully explained when the donor meets with the transplant team.
It is important to know that at any time of the process, the donor has the right to withdraw the consent to donate or the transplant team may decide it is not appropriate to proceed with the liver donation.
The Transplant Coordinator and the Transplant surgical team will provide information to all patients and their families regarding living donation.
If a person wants to be considered as a potential living donor then the Liver transplant team and Coordinators will start the process and organise preliminary investigations for assessment.
The investigation involves such tests as blood tests, chest x-ray, cardiac and pulmonary assessment, CT scan and ultrasound, and finally if required a liver biopsy.
There are also several important meetings with members of the transplant team (surgeon, physician, cardiologist, anaesthetist etc.) who will help to determine your suitability for living donation and ensure this is the right decision for you and your family.
As part of the process the transplant coordinator will ensure that necessary legal requirements are met and all paperwork is ready before being presented to the State Authorisation Committee.
