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There are not enough deceased donor organs to meet the needs of listed liver recipients. The waiting time for deceased donor liver transplantation ranges from days to months to years, depending on the health status of the recipient. Each year 30-60 patients referred to UHN for a liver transplant die during their work-up or while waiting for a deceased donor organ.
Living donor liver transplantation reduces the risk of health deterioration and death for patients who need a liver transplant. Survival from the time of list is much better for those who undergo living donor liver transplantation compared with those who wait for a deceased donor organ.
A living liver donor transplant can also be performed before the recipient's health severely deteriorates, and may allow for a faster recovery. It provides the recipient with a high quality organ whereas approximately 35% of deceased donor organs may be less than ideal due to advanced donor age, mild to moderate liver abnormalities, incomplete knowledge of the donor's health history and the use of extended criteria, exceptional release and donation after cardiac death. A living liver donor transplant allows recipients to bypass the risks of waiting for a deceased donor graft. After transplantation, the long-term outcomes with live donor liver grafts and deceased donor liver grafts are similar.
Donor safety is UHN’s #1 priority. Only 20 to 30% of those who indicate an interest in liver donation actually undergo this surgery. Some of the more common reasons for not proceeding to surgery include unsuitable blood vessel structure, abnormal blood tests and medical problems not previously identified or known. At any stage, the potential donor or the healthcare team may decide that it is inappropriate to proceed with liver donation. Due to patient confidentiality, the UHN team is not able to provide recipients with information about the donor review process or the reason why a donor is unsuitable.
Once a recipient is listed for transplant at UHN, the UHN living liver donor program will begin evaluating applications from donors. If you are interested in becoming a living liver donor, please complete the Living Donor Health History Form and attach a copy of your blood donor card, or a letter or blood test from your family doctor indicating your blood type.
If you wish to speak with someone who has undergone the living liver donor process, please let the UHN Living Liver Donor Assessment office know and they will arrange an opportunity to speak with one of their past donors. You can also email livingorgandonation@uhn.ca.
You will meet with members of the University Health Network (UHN) living donor team. UHN will talk to you about donation to make sure you are well informed about this option. Donor safety is their foremost concern. They also need to know that donors are choosing this freely without pressure. You or the UHN donor team may decide that being a living donor is not in your best interest. All meetings with the donor team will be private. The person who needs the transplant will only know if the donor is suitable or unsuitable. No other information about the assessment will be shared. Since 1990, over 800 living liver donor transplants have been performed at the UHN. All donors have returned to their regular lifestyle with no restrictions.
There is no monetary compensation for organ donation. There is a reimbursement program called Program for Reimbursing Expenses of Living Organ Donors (PRELOD) funded by the Trillium Gift of Life Network. PRELOD may pay for potential expenses that happen during the evaluation process. During your preliminary appointment, a transplant assessment coordinator will talk to you about the PRELOD reimbursement program and how to apply for it.