The best candidates for living liver donation are family members or close, personal friends of the recipient. Liver donation is a major abdominal surgery and a serious commitment.
Living donors should meet these criteria:
- Have an important personal relationship with the recipient
- Come forward to donate willingly
- Be between the ages of 18 and 55
- Have a compatible blood type with the recipient
- Be in excellent health
- Not have uncontrolled high blood pressure, liver disease, diabetes or heart disease
- Be about the same physical size as the recipient, or larger