Livers From Living Donors
Living donor liver transplantation is a procedure in which a healthy, living person donates a portion of his or her liver to another person. Finding a living donor match shortens your waiting time, increases long-term transplant success, and gives you the flexibility of scheduling your date of surgery.
An increase in the number of people awaiting liver transplantation, many of whom cannot survive the waiting time for a deceased donor organ, has led more patients and their families to explore the option of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). In addition to less waiting time to transplantation, LDLT also provides improved graft and patient survival rates.
Why Become a Living Liver Donor?
At Stanford Health Care, we treat donors with the same level of care and attention that recipients receive. We provide our potential living donors with comprehensive educational materials in order to be able to make an educated decision in regards to donation. We also have an Independent Donor Advocate (IDA) available to protect the rights of our donors.
Stanford Health Care online health history questionnaire
Click the questionnaire link below to be evaluated for living liver donation.
Please answer all questions truthfully, accurately, and completely, as the information provided here will be used by our Living Donor Team to detect any medical conditions that may affect your ability to be a living donor. This questionnaire is confidential. Only health professionals on the Living Donor Team will use this information. This information will not be shared with the transplant candidate or others.
Begin the health history questionnaire for living liver donation:
The evaluation process
Potential living donors must be:
- In an established relationship with the recipient: sibling, parent, child, spouse, relative, or close friend
- Competent and freely willing to donate, without coercion or financial gain
- Between the ages of 18 and 55
- A compatible match with the patient
- Able and willing to comply with follow-up care
- In good physical and mental health
- Covered by health insurance and have a primary care physician
If you would like to pursue becoming a donor, please complete the online questionnaire to start the process and learn more. The questionnaire takes an average of 15 minutes to complete and must be completed in one sitting.
If you have questions at any time, call our living donor team at 650-498-7878
Once a potential donor has contacted us to express interest and completed the Living Donor Questionnaire, he or she will undergo a complete medical and psychological evaluation to ensure safety and compatibility. Keep in mind that this process may take several months and that donors have the right to withdraw their decision at any time.
Stanford respects your privacy and the privacy of your potential donor. During the evaluation process, you and your donor will be assigned separate transplant coordinators and social workers, and your medical information will not be shared.
Surgery & Recovery
On the day of surgery, two teams perform the donor and recipient operations simultaneously. As the diseased liver is removed from the recipient by one team, approximately half of the donor's liver (either right lobe or left lobe) is removed by the other team and then it is transplanted into the recipient. The healthy liver will regenerate in both the donor and the recipient within six to eight weeks and to the determined size by one year.
The donor operation usually takes about five to seven hours. Donors typically stay in the hospital for about five to seven days and return to normal activities within six to eight weeks. We schedule a follow-up appointment one week after discharge with a focus on wound healing and pain management. Additional follow-up appointments are scheduled at two months, six months, one year, and two years after surgery.
If you would like more information about our LDLT program, please contact us at 650-498-7878.