Pros and cons of living donation

When a living donor gives a kidney or part of a liver to a patient, it has significant benefits for the patient. However, there are also disadvantages to living donation. The donor and recipient must be aware of these before making a choice. You can read some of these pros and cons below.

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Benefits of living donation

• An organ from a living donor usually lasts longer.
• A transplant with an organ from a living donor is a planned surgery. The donor and recipient are as healthy as possible, and the organ does not need to be transported because the surgeries take place in the same hospital. Therefore, the organ usually starts working immediately. With a transplant from a deceased donor, it may take some time before the kidney or liver starts working.
• The patient no longer needs to be on the waiting list. This also shortens the waiting time for patients who do not have a living donor.
• The donor gives a patient a better life. This can give the donor a good feeling. If the recipient is the donor's partner or a family member, it also has a major impact on the donor's family life.

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Disadvantages of living donation

• The donor undergoes surgery to give a kidney or part of a liver. Every surgery carries risks. This also applies to living organ donation. The doctor at the transplant hospital will explain what the risks are and how likely they are to occur.
• Recovery takes time, so the donor needs help for a few weeks. For example, to clean the house or take care of the children. How long someone needs help varies per person. The donor can apply for reimbursement for any costs from the Dutch Transplant Foundation.
• If the donor knows the recipient, the relationship may change after the donation.
• The donor undergoes extensive testing. Sometimes, medical problems may be discovered that you otherwise would not have known about or would have preferred not to know.
• The transplant does not always go well. 10 to 15 percent of recipients experience rejection problems. The recipient's body does not accept the donor organ well. This is difficult and sad for the recipient, but also for the donor. Sometimes the rejection is so severe that the donor kidney or donor liver stops working.

In the hospital, the transplant team will also discuss these pros and cons with the donor. The risks associated with the donation and transplant will also be discussed there.