Becoming a living donor for liver transplant surgery is a serious, personal decision. Liver donation offers no financial or medical benefits to the donor, but is crucial in helping the transplant recipient to survive. Potential donors must meet a number of requirements in order to undergo the surgical donation procedure.
First, a potential donor must have a blood type that is compatible with the recipient’s. Donors must be in good enough health, both mentally and physically, to recover fully from the surgery. Conditions such as cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, liver disease or hepatitis, drug and alcohol abuse, and HIV will potentially disqualify a donor. After examining and interviewing a potential donor, the transplant team makes the final decision on whether to perform the surgery.