Living Liver Donors Report High Satisfaction

A survey of living liver donors indicates that they consider their lives
changed for the better as a result of the procedure. Donors also scored as
well or better than the general American population on health measures, say
researchers at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York, United States.
They surveyed 48 living liver donors two months after donation between August
1998 and July 2000. The donors received through the mail a structured
questionnaire and the standardized Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health
Survey (SF-36), a generic measure assessing health-related quality of life
outcomes using eight scales: mental health, emotional limits, vitality,
social function, physical function, physical limits, pain, general health.
Thirty donors responded within an average of 280 days after donation. All
said they would donate again. The donors also scored higher in seven of eight
categories on the SF-36 than published American norms, the researchers say.
The outcome of liver recipients appears to have an impact on donor
satisfaction in at least some areas. Donors whose recipients had no comp
lications scored significantly higher on mental health scores than the
general U.S. population, and significantly higher than donors whose
recipients had complications. Of the liver recipients whose donors responded
to the survey, 15 had major complications, including two deaths, four
re-transplants and nine biliary complications.