Can Liver Transplant Be Done From Live Donor?

The question, ‘Can liver transplant be done from a live donor?’ is one that may arise for patients facing liver failure and in need of a transplant. The answer to that is yes, it is indeed possible to transplant a liver from a living donor.

This type of transplant has grown in significance, providing an alternative to traditional methods like an orthotopic liver transplant, which typically involves a deceased donor’s liver. A living donor liver transplant involves surgically removing part of a healthy donor’s liver and transplanting it into the recipient. Fortunately, the donor’s liver regenerates quickly, growing back to its original size within months, while the recipient's liver function improves as the graft adapts. Learn more about where it is possible to transplant a liver from a living donor here.

How Liver Transplant is Done from Live Donor?

Patients can be rest assured about their question, which is ‘Is it possible to transplant a liver from a living donor?’ And the answer to that is yes, it's quite doable. Many prefer this type of liver transplant, as they believe that living donors have far more healthy and functional livers, which will be helpful in the long run, compared to the livers of recently deceased ones. However, it is a time-consuming, step-by-step process, which is as follows:

■ Pre-surgery Liver Transplant Surgery

There are certain formalities to perform whether you are a donor or the patient. A transplant centre provides a full medical and psychological evaluation of liver transplant requirements, whether both the donor and the receiver qualify for a live-donor liver transplant. Various transplant teams will care for the donor and the receiver separately during the evaluation period before they conduct extensive discussions about the potential merits and risks of the procedure.

For adversely impacted living-donor liver donations, donating a piece of a liver poses serious potential danger for the donor, while the operation often can provide relief or life to the vast majority of liver transplantation candidates. Recipients' livers are matched with living donors based on various criteria, including age, blood type, and organ size.

■ During Liver Transplant Surgery

The surgeon will cut the stomach wall to remove the donor liver on transplant day. Depending on the needs of the recipient and the size of the donor's liver, that portion may vary.

They remove the recipient's dysfunctional liver and insert the donor's liver piece into it. The new liver is then connected to the bile ducts and blood vessels.

In a few months time, both the transplanted liver and the remnant of the donor liver will have returned back to their normal size and function.

What are the Advantages of Living Donor Liver Transplant?

While living donor liver transplants have become increasingly common, some people may still wonder if it’s possible to safely transplant a liver from a living donor without causing harm to either the donor or the recipient. The answer to that is yes, and there are certain advantages to this procedure:

• Reduced Cold Ischaemia Time: After a planned elective transplant, the liver remains outside the body for a shorter period, reducing the risk of damage during the transplantation process.
• Higher Quality of Donor Livers: Since living donors are thoroughly tested and only approved if they are in optimal health, the quality of their livers is often better than that of deceased donor livers.
• Life-Saving Impact: Living donation not only saves the recipient's life but also allows for a liver to be made available for another patient on the waiting list who otherwise may have no other option.

Is it Possible to Transplant a Liver from Any Donor?

No, not everyone can donate their liver, and without a diagnosis, the surgery may fail. There are some things to carefully keep in mind before you consider selecting the donor:

• The donor should not have any allergic reactions because they will need to take medications for surgery recovery and other reasons.
• They should not have a high BMR. The ideal range is below 32, as high body fat or mass will cause obstruction in the process of surgery, as the body needs to be under strict regulations during that time.
• Being a liver transplant donor, they should also be free from other major diseases, like cancer, hepatitis, heart failure, kidney malfunction, and chronic infections, as they can make their bodies weak and collapse during surgery.
• They should have a strong supportive group of family and friends, as it may help the donor to heal post-surgery. Proper emotional and moral support ensures fast recovery for both the donor and liver transplant patient. 

All the above-listed things are the key considerations that decide who can be an ideal donor.

How Successful are Living Donor Liver Transplants?

The success rate of a living-donor liver transplant is quite high, especially in India, as it has proved its efficiency over the years and is done with a team of experts from all over the world with world-class advanced technologies.

It only has a minor risk percentage, which is 1 in 200 patients who might not survive in the case of adults and only 1 in 1000 in the case of children.

Bottom Line: Can Liver Transplant Be Done from Live Donor?

A liver transplant from a living donor is not only possible but also offers a number of advantages for both the recipient and the donor. Patients who receive a liver from a living donor tend to experience fewer complications and a higher survival rate compared to those who receive a liver from a deceased donor.

For children, living donor liver transplants are especially beneficial due to the limited availability of suitable deceased-donor organs. Adults, however, often face long waiting periods—typically 6-12 months—due to the scarcity of available livers on the waiting list. This waiting period highlights the importance of living donation as a life-saving option.

India has emerged as one of the best countries for liver transplants, offering expert liver transplant specialists, advanced technology, state-of-the-art medical facilities, and high success rates in liver transplant procedures, all at affordable liver transplant costs.