With more than 11,000 Americans on the waiting list for a liver transplant — and only about 5,000 deceased-donor livers available for transplant — living-liver donation offers many benefits.
Register to become a Living Donor.
During a living-donor liver transplant, a living person has a piece of their healthy liver removed and transplanted into another person to replace an unhealthy liver. These transplants are possible because of the liver’s unique ability to regenerate, or regrow.
By identifying a living donor, patients with end-stage liver disease can receive a life-saving transplant much sooner than if they waited for a deceased-donor liver to become available.
This saves the life of not only the recipient of the living-donor liver transplant, but a second candidate waiting on the liver transplant waiting list. The candidate on the list can now receive a deceased-donor organ that would not have been available to them without the living-donor liver transplant occurring.
While the recovery process can vary, most people who receive a living-donor liver transplant experience faster recovery times and improved outcomes compared to people who receive a deceased-donor liver transplant.
Living-donor liver transplant is also an option for children with liver disease. During an adult-to-child living donor transplant, a smaller portion of the donor's liver is removed and transplanted into the child.
To schedule an evaluation for liver donation, please complete the “Register to Become a Living Donor” form below, and a member of the transplant team will reach out to you in the near future.
Register to become a Living Donor.
Call the UPMC Liver Transplant Program at 833-514-5999, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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We routinely provide liver transplant care to those with complex cases and discuss the benefits of living-donor liver transplant with all patients who may qualify. If you’ve been turned down for a liver transplant at another center, or if you’d like a second opinion about your liver transplant options, our experts are available.
To learn more about receiving a second opinion at UPMC, call
833-514-5999.
Photo taken before applicable masking and social distancing guidelines.
For patients with end-stage liver disease who are considering living-donor liver transplant as an option, the Living Donor Transplant team will help you through the entire process, including finding a donor.
We offer a variety of resources to assist you in your search for a living donor through our Living Donor Champion Program. The program is designed to help you:
For those thinking about donating a portion of their liver, UPMC's living-donor liver transplant team works together to make the process run smoothly.
We recognize how hard the decision to donate an organ can be. Our liver transplant team will serve as your support system each step of the way.
We'll help you prepare and educate you about:
UPMC and Donate Life America are partnering to raise awareness of living donation. Visit the UPMC and Donate Life: Living-Donor Transplant Facebook page.
Learn more about this partnership
As the nation's first pediatric transplant program, the Hillman Center for Pediatric Transplantation at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC has performed more pediatric transplants than any other pediatric center in the United States.
Learn more about pediatric transplants
