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Organ Donation Risk

Not all organ donations take place after the donor has passed away. Organs can be transplanted while a person is still living. According to OrganDonor.gov, the first living transplant occurred in 1954, and annually 6,000 living organ donations are made. However, with any type of surgery, complications can occur. This article explains the risks associated with organ donation.

  1. About Living Organ Donation

    • The majority of living donations take place between relatives and good friends. The kidney is the most popular organ donated by living donors. Also, living donors can contribute other organs such as a liver lobe, a lung, a portion of the pancreas or partial piece of the intestines. Although these organs do not grow back, people can donate these organs and still function.

    Who Can Be a Donor

    • Before someone becomes a living donor, she is given an evaluation to see if she is qualified for donation. Living donors need to be fit physically, psychologically and emotionally fit, and ideally should be between the ages of 18 and 60. A donor cannot have suffered from or currently be afflicted with diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, kidney ailments or coronary disease.

    General Complications

    • With any kind of surgery, there is always the risk of complications. With a transplant procedure, one runs the risk of pain, infection, pneumonia, blood clotting, hemorrhaging, allergic reaction to anesthesia, a need for a blood transfusion--and possibly death. According to an ABC News report, for every 1,000 liver donor transplants, there are 10 deaths.

    Long-Term Risks

    • According to LivingTransplant.org, there are potential long-term complications associated with all living donation procedures. With a kidney transplant, the living donor risks high blood pressure and kidney failure. For a lung donation, the living donor could suffer from a buildup of puss in the lung, coughing up blood and abnormal heart rhythms. Concerning a pancreas donation, a donor puts himself at risk for needing his spleen removed or suffering from diabetes. Those who donate pieces of their intestine could face complications such as obstruction in the small bowel, weight loss and diarrhea.

    Other Risks

    • The determination to be a living donor needs to assessed carefully, weighing the pros and cons of the procedure. The benefactor is not in jeopardy because the organ donation is a life-saving procedure. However, in some cases the living donor faces quality of life issues, as there is the chance for disability or increasing medical insurance costs. A living donor also faces psychological concerns after donation. Depression and anxiety can occur, often connected with the recovery process after the procedure.

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