Study Supports Live-Donor Liver Transplants

People with sudden (acute) liver failure do just as well if they receive a partial liver from a live donor as they do with a traditional transplant, a study finds. The donors seem to do well, too. The study found they had no serious problems after the procedure. People with sudden liver failure often can’t wait for a transplant from a live donor. About 80% of those who can’t get a transplant die. The new study compared results from transplants at a large hospital in a 7-year period. In that time, 26 people got liver transplants from recently deceased donors. Another 7 people got transplants from live donors. Risks and results were similar for both procedures. About 31% of those who got live-donor transplants had infections, bleeding or other problems afterward. These problems occurred in 43% of those with traditional transplants.