A living donor could choose to donate a portion of his/her healthy liver to a deceased person. This is because of the unique ability of the liver to regenerate itself within a period of one or two weeks. The regenerated liver is then fit to perform all the normal body functions.
Being in good health and deciding to donate a portion of your liver could make a huge difference for transplant patients as it can minimize their time frame on the transplant waiting list. Apart from this, there are certain other benefits that the recipients enjoy if they get a living donor liver transplant. Along with the countable benefits, there are also certain risks that are involved when you receive a portion of a living donor.
Here we have discussed all the merits & complications that you might face if you choose to receive a liver portion from a living donor.
Benefits of receiving a liver from a living donor:
every year thousands of deceased patients wait to receive a liver transplant, getting a donor is a tough task for the patient’s family, accompanied by its own set of problems & emotional trauma.
If you decide to donate a portion of your liver as a healthy living donor, it can do wonders for the transplant recipient, who will greatly benefit from your modest act.
A living liver donor could be a family member, friend, any blood relation, or an altruistic donor (anonymous donation involves living donors who are not related to or known by the recipient), requiring the blood group of both the donor & recipient match.
Benefits of getting a liver from a living donor for transplantation include:
- This process saves time as the recipient does not have to wait to receive liver from a deceased donor.
- Beneficial for people with end-stage liver disease.
- Reduces the length of time patients must wait on the national transplant waiting list.
- Liver from a living donor starts functioning immediately, improving post-operative outcomes overall.
- Portion of a healthy donor’s liver, improves long-term results and hastens recovery times.
- Additionally, living donors and transplant recipients can schedule surgery at a time that is convenient for both parties.
Risks of receiving a liver from a living donor:
even though obtaining a liver from a live donor is one of the safest options, it is possible that you could experience a problem during or after the transplant that necessitates additional surgery or medical treatment.
Following the transplant process, the patient might experience the following complications:
- Bile leakage
- Infection at the site of surgery
- Organ damage or other problems
Other complications may include:
Possible allergic reaction to anesthesia
- Pain and discomfort
- Nausea
- Bleeding that may require transfusion
- Blood clots
- Pneumonia
- Hernia
- Scar tissue formation