Transplant
Welcome to the Mayo Clinic Transplant page! Here you can learn about heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, lung, hand, face, and blood and bone marrow transplant, living donation, read articles from the Mayo Clinic team, patient stories and much more. Our transplant page is designed to bring relevant and informative transplant information directly to you.
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In 2018 there were 29,680 deceased donor transplants and only 6,849 living donor transplants. Data from OPTN as of June 3, 2019. Our goal is to bring awareness to the public about living donation so we can help address the shortage of available organs. Living organ donation and transplantation was developed as a direct result of the critical shortage of deceased donors. Almost all Americans support organ donation, but only about half are registered to be organ donors.
The decision to become a living donor requires time and careful consideration. Our hope is that by providing you with the basics of living organ donation we can help educate and provide you with additional resources if you are interested in becoming a living organ donor.
What is living organ donation?
Living donation is an opportunity to save a life while you are still living. Living donation offers another choice for transplant candidates, and it has the potential to save two lives: the recipient and the next one on the deceased organ waiting list, as the life of the next person on the wait-list isn't guaranteed, even if their wait is reduced. Even better, kidney and liver patients who are able to receive a living donor transplant can receive the best quality organ much sooner, often in less than a year.
The need for living organ donation.
Nearly 115,000 people in America are waiting for an organ. Unfortunately, many may never get the call saying that an organ – and a second chance at life – has been found. 82% of patients waiting are in need of a kidney and 13% are in need of a liver. A living donor is an option for these and other patients who otherwise may face a lengthy wait for an organ from a deceased donor. (Source: OPTN.)
What are the most common living donations?
Many lives are saved through living donation; in fact over 6,000 transplants were possible in 2017 because of living donors. There are three different types of living donation, directed, non-directed, and paired exchange living donation. It is important to know the differences between the types of donation in order to determine what will be best for you, if you consider becoming a living donor. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) explains the below three types of living donation.
Can anyone be a living donor?
No. But most healthy adults can become organ donors. In general, living donors should be:
There are also many other requirements beyond physical considerations that are taken into account.
What are the risks?
Most people experience few or no problems with living organ donation. Organ donation does require major surgery, however, and there are risks with any surgical procedure. You might experience some pain during recovery. Some people experience other post-surgical complications, like nerve damage. Since every transplant situation is different it is best to talk with your transplant center experts to understand all your potential risks.
Becoming a living donor is a big decision and in this post we only provided a high level overview of the basics of living donation. For this reason, interested donors must spend time talking with experts at a transplant center to be fully educated. Here are some additional resources to help you learn more about living organ donation.
If you are interested in becoming a living organ donor view our living donor toolkit to get started as a living organ donor.
HELPFUL LINKS
Liked by Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor, Natalie R, Marketing Manager, cehunt57, Lisa Lucier ... see all
Hi @piratecowgirl1 and welcome to Connect. Have you been put on the list for getting a kidney from a deceased donor? That is an option when you do not have a living donor. It does take a while, generally longer for kidneys than for livers, but the length of time it takes depends on how sick you are. If you have not been evaluated to see if you are a candidate for a deceased donor you should do that. You can find transplant centers on the SRTR.org database and they are rated there for how well they do.
It is scary, I know. I had a liver transplant from a deceased donor and I was apprehensive but as I got sicker I got less apprehensive. By the time I was able to have a transplant I was thrilled with it, and all has worked out very well.
JK
Liked by Lisa Lucier, Ginger, Volunteer Mentor
@piratecowgirl1, I also want to extend a welcome to you. Speaking from my own experience, I can honestly say, "I understand." I have a liver and a kidney transplant. I was on dialysis for a short time before I transplanted. My kidney failure was sudden (acute) and caused by my liver failure.
Your nephrologist will be the one to refer you to a transplant center where you will be evaluated to find out if a transplant is an option for you. Then the your doctors will direct you every step of the way if transplant is in your future.
How long have you been on dialysis treatment? Have you talked to your doctor about this?
What is the reason for your dialysis? If you are comfortable to share it here, I will do my best to connect you with others with a similar condition. You are not alone.
Liked by JK, Alumna Mentor, Lisa Lucier
@piratecowgirl Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect, we're glad you found us! Would you like to share a bit more about your situation? Are you on dialysis now [what kind, hemodialysis or perineal?], and for how long? Like @contentandwell said, there are different kinds of organ donation. Do you have family or friends who may consider testing to be a match? Are you registered with a transplant center at this time? We care here and want to help you!
Ginger
Liked by JK, Alumna Mentor, Lisa Lucier
@piratecowgirl1
Young and scared….
Not sure about living on dyalisis for the rest of my life. I wish I knew how to get a donor operation. Just need some support.
Liked by Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor, Ginger, Volunteer Mentor