BMJ 2003;327:1294 (29 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7426.1294-a
reviews
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Living organ donation
Two letters in this week's BMJ present conflicting views of living liver donation (p 1287). In arguing
in favour of donation, Roger Williams says that there is an "unacceptable" wait for cadaver organs and
that the UK transplant rate is already one of the lowest in the West. Wherever there's a shortage, as there
is of organs for transplant, there is scope for online information campaigns.
The US based Coalition on Donation explains that kidneys are the most common organ donated by living donors,
while other organs that can be donated include partial liver, lung, and pancreas (www.shareyourlife.org/become_livingdonor.html). The site lists the advantages to the recipient of living donation, the risks, and the lifelong considerations
of being a donor.
The US Living Organ Donor Network (www.lodn.org) allows information regarding living kidney donors to be placed, for the first time, in a common database
"so medical professionals can collect the demographic and medical characteristics of these individuals." Most
of the site is password protected, but there's a brief information page and online forum with personal stories.
Living Donors Online! (www.livingdonorsonline.org/) aims to be "the preeminent online community for living donors, potential donors, their families, and
medical professionals." As well as general and organ-specific information, there is a Living Donor Hall
of Fame and a buddies programme matching potential donors with those who have already donated.
The shortage of organs for transplant has also spawned sites of dubious ethical provenance. As the Independent
on Sunday newspaper reported earlier this year, Liver4you.org claims to be able to provide transplant surgery in the Philippines in as little as 10 days, using cadaver
and live donor organs. "Come to Manila and meet the doctor," the site urges, pointing out the cost of
kidney surgery runs from $35 000 to $85 000 (£21 000; €30 000 to £50 000; €72 000) and liver surgery
from $150 000 to $250 000, and that a flight with Korean Air or China Air would cost around $850. The site was
originally highlighted by the charity Organs Watch (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/biotech/organswatch/index.html), which monitors the international trade in illegal organs.
Trevor Jackson, assistant editor
BMJ tjackson@bmj.com
Related Articles
- Role of living liver donation: Requirement for transplantation is high
- Roger Williams
BMJ 2003 327: 1287. [Extract] [Full Text]
- Role of living liver donation: Surgery violates principles of beneficence and autonomy
- Michael Potts
BMJ 2003 327: 1287. [Extract] [Full Text]
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- Summers, S. (2004). Further nurses' notes on ER. BMJ 328: 51-51 [Full text]
