What are the differences between organ donation after death and while living? Nephrologist Dr Prajit Mazumdar explains

It is well known that organs can be donated by both living and dead individuals. But the concerns in both cases are very different. When a living donor is involved, people worry about the health of both the donor and the receiver following the procedure.

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In an interaction with HT Lifestyle, nephrologist Dr Prajit Mazumdar shared, “The confusion between living and deceased donation is one of the most common gaps in public understanding. Clarity on this could help far more patients receive the transplants they urgently need.”

He went on to explain the differences, which are presented as follows.

A living donor gives an organ, or part of one, while still alive. This is medically possible because the body can function well with a single kidney or with a portion of the liver, which regenerates over time.

“The most common living donations are a kidney or a liver lobe,” shared Dr Mazumdar. “Donations of part of a lung or pancreas are extremely rare. These living donors are usually close relatives like parents, siblings, spouses, or children.”

The nephrologist assured that the risk to donors has significantly reduced over time. “Procedures like laparoscopic kidney removal and robotic transplants are now safer and allow for a much faster recovery than in the past,” he added.

As the name suggests, deceased donation happens after a person has died, most often following brain-stem death of individuals. This is the condition where the brain has permanently and irreversibly stopped functioning, while other organs are kept viable through life support, explained Dr Mazumdar.

“An individual organ donor could save a lot of people by donating heart, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas, intestines, as well as tissues like cornea and skin,” he shared.

“Even though deceased organ donation is so beneficial, we have witnessed a lower rate of organ donation from deceased donors in India than from living donors,” pointed out the nephrologist. “This gap can be attributed largely to low public awareness, social stigma, delays in brain-stem death certification, and understandable reluctance among grieving families to give consent.”

Living donors are usually required to be adults, medically fit, and free of conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, active cancer, or major organ involvement.

“However, the law in India often mandates a genetic relation to the recipient, which can be established by DNA analysis to prevent organ trafficking,” pointed out Dr Mazumdar.

Deceased donors (donation after brain death) can donate based on their medical history and organ health at the time of donation.

While living donation currently sustains most of India's transplant needs, according to the nephrologist, it is important to stress the importance of growing deceased donor programs.