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

reviews

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

Living organ donation

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 can collect thedemographic and medical characteristics of these individuals."Most of the site is password protected, but there's a briefinformation page and online forum with personal stories.

Living Donors Online! (www.livingdonorsonline.org/) aims tobe "the preeminent online community for living donors, potentialdonors, their families, and medical professionals." As wellas general and organ-specific information, there is a LivingDonor Hall of Fame and a buddies programme matching potentialdonors with those who have already donated.

The shortage of organs for transplant has also spawned sitesof dubious ethical provenance. As the Independent on Sundaynewspaper reported earlier this year, Liver4you.org claims tobe able to provide transplant surgery in the Philippines inas little as 10 days, using cadaver and live donor organs. "Cometo Manila and meet the doctor," the site urges, pointing outthe cost of kidney surgery runs from $35 000 to $85 000 (£21000; €30 000 to £50 000; €72 000) and liversurgery from $150 000 to $250 000, and that a flight with KoreanAir or China Air would cost around $850. The site was originallyhighlighted by the charity Organs Watch (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/biotech/organswatch/index.html),which monitors the international trade in illegal organs.