Other Forms of Living Donation

There are many forms of living donation. This page includes information and links to sites with more details on living donation other than kidney, liver, and bone marrow.

Living Lung Donation

Living lung donation requires two donors—one person giving one lobe and the other giving another lobe. The two lobes are combined to form a single lung for the recipient. This procedure results in complications for 18% – 20% of donors. About 2% of donors require reoperation to address bleeding or airway issues. Donors also have a permanent reduction in lung function of 10%- 20%. UNOS data report the first living lung donation in 1990. The number of donations peaked at 58 in 1999 but have declined since then to only a few per year.

  • Medical research article on living lobar donation in children. (A PDF file.)
  • Abstract of medical study of the effect of lobar donation on living donors.

Living Pancreas Donation

Donation of a portion of a pancreas is still experimental. UNOS data show between zero to four donations per year since 2001 with a total of 72 through 2013; UNOS reports no living pancreas donors since 2013. However, the University of Minnesota web site says they have conducted 120 live-donor pancreas transplants since 1998. A paper they issued in 2001 said they had done 111 living pancreas donor transplants. It’s not clear why there is such a large difference in what the University of Minnesota reports and what UNOS reports. Information on the actual procedure is scarce.

Blood Donation

Donating blood is commonplace, and there are several sites with information:

Living Skin Donation

Living donation of excess skin following weight loss is possible but is practical in only very limited circumstances. Note that the cost of the surgery to remove the excess skin is paid for by the donor. Look at “Skin Donation FAQ” on this web page for an explanation: https://traumaburn.org/about/skin-bank-laboratory

Living Intestine Donation

It is possible to donate a portion of your intestine. This procedure is very rare: UNOS data show fewer than 10 procedures per year. There have been no living intestine donors since 2018. The first living intestine transplant was at University of Massachusetts Medical School.