Living Donor Organ Transplant

Living Kidney Donation Living Liver Donation

Why are living kidney and liver donations important?

The majority of organ transplants in the United States come from deceased donors. However, unlike a heart or lung, a liver segment or whole kidney can be donated by a healthy, living donor. This significantly reduces a patient's time on the waiting list. When an organ or segment of an organ is removed from a living donor, it is given to the recipient within hours, resulting in immediate function, fewer complications and significantly shorter hospital stays. These organs, especially kidneys, appear to last two to three times longer than organs from deceased donors. So, patients benefit from shorter wait times, better surgical results and a longer-lasting transplanted organ.

Living Donor Frequently Asked Questions

What is involved in the living donor evaluation process?

A potential living organ donor goes through a detailed evaluation, including blood tests, imaging studies such as CT scans and X-rays, and meetings with the transplant team. These tests and consultations help us determine if the individual can safely become a living donor and rule out any barriers that would prevent a person from donating. Safety is always the primary concern.

Are there risks to living donation surgery?

As with any major surgery, organ donation surgery has minor risks of complications such as bleeding, infection or issues with the incision. A team of surgeons, physicians and independent donor advocates focuses only on donor safety, without bias or influence from the recipient’s transplant team, even when the donor and recipient are related.

Are you eligible to be a living donor?

This questionnaire is for friends, family and others who are considering being a living donor.

Take our living donor questionnaire

How does UChicago Medicine make surgery safer for living organ donors?

Our transplant surgeons use the most advanced techniques to procure the organ from the donor. When removing a portion of a healthy liver, we use a hybrid approach: the first step in the operation is done laparoscopically with smaller incisions, followed by an open surgery. We offer two types of kidney donation (nephrectomy) procedures: laparoscopic or robotic with three small incisions and a larger incision for organ removal, and a nearly scarless approach with only one small incision hidden in the belly button. These minimally invasive techniques reduce pain, and shorten the hospital stay and overall recovery time.

Call 1-773-702-4500 to speak to a living donor transplant coordinator

Understanding Living Kidney Donation

The human body only needs one kidney to filter waste from the body, which is why someone can donate a kidney and continue to live a full, healthy life.

Understanding Living Liver Donation

A segment of the liver can be donated safely because of the liver’s ability to grow back in both the donor and the recipient.

Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy at UChicago Medicine

Dr. Rolf Barth explains a minimally invasive kidney donor transplant surgery that leaves a small scar in the belly button.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING] About a decade ago, our team refined and developed a technique for really the least invasive approach towards kidney donation. We call it single-port donor nephrectomy, and take advantage of really the first scar that any of us are born with, which is our belly button. We make a small incision, hiding it in the belly button, and put a special instrument through which we insert the camera and the instruments needed to do the operation.

We spend that time for the next period of hour or two separating the kidney from the patient, carefully and meticulously dissecting the blood vessels and the kidney. And at the final step, divide those blood vessels and put the kidney into a special sterilized bag, and stretch out the belly button just large enough to bring the kidney out for the recipient.

At the end of the operation, we close up the belly button. Everyone ends up with an innie. And the incision is not much bigger than your original belly button. We put a little piece of gauze and a Band-Aid over the incision.

It's actually not a full Band-Aid. We cut the Band-Aid in half. And patients go to recovery and wake up and can look down at their tummy and see half a Band-Aid over their belly button, and know that they've not only saved someone's life by donating their kidney, being able to go home with minimal pain and back to full function, and doing these wonderful acts of kidney donation.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Chicagoland Transplant Care Locations

Request an Appointment

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Living Donor Transplant Stories

Living liver transplant recipient Kristen Batkiewicz

Living liver donation: The gift of a lifetime