Swaps

[kyshiag]

Are organ for organ swaps the only swaps allowed or can you give a liver in exchange for a kidney. Also would it be possible to join a swap ring where you gave a liver, bone marrow, etc in exchange for a kidney?

[okarol]

As of now there are only kidney paired donation or chains.

[Stoday]

I think a kidney/liver swap option might be lethal for the latter, so it's not surprising it's not available.

[KICKSTART]

I think a kidney/liver swap option might be lethal for the latter, so it's not surprising it's not available.

IRRC you can give 'part' of a liver !

[kyshiag]

I'm sorry.  I should have clarified.  In organ swap chains, your loved one (who you don't match) essentially gets a kidney from someone who matches them, while you give your kidney to someone who matches you.  I was wondering, could you exchange different parts from different people?  I don't want anyone dead behind this. 

[okarol]

In theory, a kidney could be swapped for a liver or kidney, as long as the living donors agree. The problem is that there is no program which supports this type of donation. Plus, the risk for donating a part of a liver is much higher than for a kidney surgery. In the United States, as of today, there are 87,150 patients wait listed for a kidney, while there are 16,119 who need a liver. The focus of matching people and creating swaps and chains has been on kidneys.  I don't think there is even a liver for liver paired donation program for living donors.
If more people brought potential living kidney donors to their transplant team, more matches could be made, like the National Kidney Registry and Paired Donation programs are doing now.