Can You Become a Liver Donor?

Our goal at Henry Ford is to make your selfless act of organ donation as trouble-free and safe as possible. We want to return you to your active life quickly. Our donor advocates and donor coordinators help you navigate the donation process.

Apply to Become a Living Liver Donor

Requirements for liver donation

To donate a portion of your liver to someone you know, you should be:

• Between the ages of 18 and 55
• A friend or family member, such as a spouse, parent, sibling, child, nephew or niece
• Approximately the same body size or larger than the recipient
• The same or compatible blood type as the recipient
• In excellent medical and psychological health

Exclusions for liver donation

Certain conditions prevent you from making a liver donation:

• Previous liver surgery
• HIV
• Viral hepatitis
• Cancer
• Heart disease
• Lung disease
• Diabetes
• Active alcoholism

Medical tests for liver donation

You must complete a series of medical tests before you can become a liver donor. These tests include:

• Physical examination, including review of past medical history
• Mental health assessment
• Blood and tissue typing
• Blood screens for transmittable viruses, such as hepatitis and HIV
• Blood tests to check liver, kidney and thyroid function
• Heart tests, such as an electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Imaging, including chest X-rays, possible abdominal angiogram to assess blood flow to your liver, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) to assess the size of your liver
• Possible liver biopsy

Risks of liver donation

All of our living donors lead active lives, with a 100 percent survival rate at Henry Ford. Nationally, donor death is exceedingly rare, at 5 in 1,000.

Other risks of liver donation include:

• Bile leak or infection
• Wound site infection
• Pain at the incision
• Bleeding that requires blood transfusions