What is a Living Liver Donation?
We accept adults who are willing to donate a piece of their liver to one of our pediatric patients. You can be a directed liver donor, which means you are willing to donate to a particular recipient only. We also accept non-directed or altruistic liver donors, which means you are willing to donate to any of our pediatric recipients.
Directed Liver Donor Guidelines
- You must be between the ages of 18-50 years old.
- Your body mass index (BMI) must be less than 35. A BMI calculator can be used to determine your BMI.
- Your blood type must be compatible with the recipient.
***These guidelines are very black and white. There are NO EXCEPTIONS!
Liver Donor Absolute Contraindications
You cannot have any personal history of any of the conditions listed below:
- Cancer (past or present)
- HIV
- Hepatitis (past or present)
- Terminal illness
- Suicidal thoughts or attempts
Other Problems That May Prevent Living Liver Donation
- Personal or family history of bleeding or clotting disorders
- Current active infections
- Serious reactions to anesthesia in the past
- History of anxiety or depression
Directed Liver Donor Process
- Initial phone call with living donor coordinator:
- Information given about our process
- Liver donor selection guidelines
- Contraindications
- Basic information about surgery and follow-up care
- Transplant assistant will do health screening over the phone
- Health screening information will be entered into the computer system and sent to surgeon for review
- Phone call with independent living donor advocate
- Review informed consent
- Brief psychosocial history
- Initial labs-CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel), hgb A1C (hemoglobin A1C) and tissue typing
- CTA scan
- Transplant evaluations and consults (must come to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for two days of appointments):
- MRI
- Medical evaluation (includes fasting labs, chest X-ray and EKG)
- Surgical consult
- Psychosocial evaluation
- Psychological evaluation
- Dietary consult
- Anesthesia consult
- Must be medically, psychosocially, surgically and psychologically approved
- Formally discussed at our monthly donor selection meeting
- If approved, transplant date will be scheduled
Non-Directed or Altruistic Liver Donor Selection Guidelines
- You must be between the ages of 25-50 years old.
- Your body mass index (BMI) must be less than 35. A BMI calculator can be used to determine your BMI.
Non-Directed or Altruistic Liver Donor Process
- Initial phone call with living donor coordinator:
-
- Information given about our process
- Liver donor selection guidelines
- Contraindications
- Basic information about surgery and follow-up care
- Transplant assistant will do health screening over the phone
- Health screening information will be entered into the computer system and sent to surgeon for review
- Phone call with independent living donor advocate
- Review informed consent
- Brief psychosocial history
- Initial labs-CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel), hgb A1C (hemoglobin A1C), and ABO
- Must come to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for:
- Psychosocial evaluation
- Psychological evaluation
- CTA scan
- Transplant evaluations and consults (must come to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for one to two days of appointments):
- MRI
- Medical evaluation (includes fasting labs, chest X-ray, and EKG)
- Surgical consult
- Dietary consult
- Anesthesia consult
- Must be medically, psychosocially, surgically and psychologically approved
- Formally discussed at our monthly donor selection meeting
- If approved, transplant date will be scheduled
Medical Expenses
- All medical costs are covered under the recipient’s insurance for all the required testing
- Do not submit your personal health insurance card for anything
- All donor candidates are given donor billing instructions
Travel Expenses
The National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC)) may cover associated costs for travel to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (evaluation and transplant)
- Must meet their criteria to qualify
- ILDA (Independent Living Donor Advocate) can give you more information if interested
Other Expenses / Lost Wages
- Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) offers the option of fundraising to help with expenses associated with living donation. These expenses may include:
- Lost wages, ongoing household expenses, child care, etc.
- Food, lodging, fuel, etc.
- This is a good option for those who don’t qualify for NLDAC assistance
- Anyone interested will be connected with a COTA representative for assistance
