The Process of Donating an Organ

If you are going to be a living donor for a portion of you liver then there is a battery of medical tests that you will first have to formally undergo. This is important to make sure that there is as little rejection as possible. For the humanitarian donor, the amount of time recuperating is much less than for the receiver of the donation.

The first test that will be done is a blood test. AB blood can receive a donation from someone who has A, B, AB, or O blood. That is the best that you can get. Any blood type can accept O blood, and then there is the ability to accept their own blood type. If the blood type will work, then there is a complete physical and medical history on the potential donor. There are many different tests that may be done. There is tissue typing, cross matching, Antibody screening, urine tests, x-rays, Arteriogram, psychiatric or psychological evaluations, and more blood tests. I will explain what each test is for or how it is done.

Tissue typing is done by blood being drawn and typing the white blood cells which is checked between six different codes. This procedure is done less on living donors than on cadaver donors. The subsequent test is cross matching where a blood test is done to see of the recipient will react to the donor. Antibody screens are done to see if there are any foreign antibodies in the donor's blood like blood transfusions, viruses, pregnancy, etc. Urine tests are done to check to make sure that the kidney functions are presently performing properly. X-rays are done of the heart and lungs to make sure everything looks okay, and then the Arteriogram is where they inject a liquid that is visible under x-ray to view the potential donated organ part. Psychiatric evaluations are to make sure that the donor is doing this for humanitarian reasons, and will be able to handle the forthcoming operation. There is a final blood test within 48 hours of the surgery to make sure everything is still alright.

My brother wants to donate part of his liver to me, but after being in Iraq, and having some other issues through ordinary life he would not be a good donor because of the chance of rejection due to antigens in his blood. I work through Lahey Clinic in Burlington Massachusetts and feel very confident since Doctor Lewis, who is my surgical doctor is one of the foremost experts on liver transplants. The actual transplant is a very in-depth and extremely precise operation today. For example they now will use only a portion of the left lobe of the liver for children, or the entire left lobe for small adults, where I would need the whole right lobe of the hepatic. The next section that I will thoroughly discuss is the current transplant procedure.

The actual process begins with cutting an incision in the side of the chest, and using a retractor to spread the ribs enough to get to the liver. Because the blood vessels surrounding the liver are not large enough, usually a vessel is taken from the leg and donated as well. This operation actually takes about five to eight hours, and then the donor will stay in the hospital for seven days before they go home. The recipient has the same process done, except the old liver is disguarded and the new one placed inside the body. The veins and arteries are sewn together, and then the recipient will be in the hospital up to thirteen weeks. From that day on there will be anti-rejection medication that this person will have to take for the rest of their lives. At Lahey Clinic, they have a 95 percent success rate.

The radical surgery will be very intense for me, since I will not be in control of my body. The body of the recipient will have the heart beat, blood flow, and breathing slowed way down. There is a slight risk of untimely departure on the operating table for the recipient. Then there is intense screening and testing for any significant evidences of rejection. The complete time for continued close checking of the recipient will generally last from 20 to 26 weeks according to how fast that the recipient will recover. The life long significant attachment will be the continued use of anti-rejection drugs, staying away from anyone who is sick, and several blood tests that will never stop. I have personally met a husband and wife team where 22 years ago the husband had a transplant, and now the wife requires one. Those are the remarkable stories, but I also know a hometown man that received a transplant and passed away in less than one year.

Some thoughts to end with are one; take care of your body. Yes, your liver is very forgiving, but when it quits forgiving, life dramatically changes very quickly. If you have the ability to, and the desire to, please check with local hospitals to find out where you can go about donating any organ that can be transplanted from a live donor. It is truly a gift of life for someone....