Living organ donation

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7426.1294-a

BMJ 2003;327:1294 (29 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7426.1294-a

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WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

Living organ donation

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Two letters in this week's BMJ present conflicting views ofliving liver donation (p 1287). In arguing in favour of donation,Roger Williams says that there is an "unacceptable" wait forcadaver organs and that the UK transplant rate is already oneof the lowest in the West. Wherever there's a shortage, as thereis of organs for transplant, there is scope for online informationcampaigns.

The US based Coalition on Donation explains that kidneys arethe most common organ donated by living donors, while otherorgans that can be donated include partial liver, lung, andpancreas (www.shareyourlife.org/become_livingdonor.html). Thesite 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 informationregarding living kidney donors to be placed, for the first time,in a common database "so medical professionals . . . [Full text of this article]

Trevor Jackson, assistant editor

BMJ tjackson@bmj.com