University of Cincinnati Health has launched a living organ donor program for liver transplants.
Living donor liver transplant involves a surgical team removing part of the liver of a donor who is alive and transplanting it into a patient who needs a new liver. The remaining part of the liver in the donor and the transplanted part of the liver in the recipient grow to normal size within two months, allowing long-term liver function for both the donor and the recipient.
This highly specialized surgery is performed at only 61 transplant centers in the U.S.
UC Health's first living donor liver transplant surgery is scheduled for early August at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
"This gives us an additional avenue to address the scarce resource of donated livers. Our job is to provide access to our patients and save their lives, and opening up a new avenue through living liver donation helps expand access," said Shimul A. Shah, MD, section chief of solid organ transplantation for University of Cincinnati Health.