1. The donor must be a relative. He must be willing and happy to donate a part of his liver purely for altruistic reasons.
2. He or she must preferably be between 18 and 45 years of age, healthy, fit and of a compatible / matching blood group :

Occasionally a donor / patient combination of non compatible blood groups may be considered for ABO incompatible liver transplant – this involves additional cost, additional procedures pre-transplant and additional risks for the recipient ( not for the donor ).

3. The donors need to be related to the patient , either of the same family or related through marriage :

First degree relatives : Son, daughter, brother, sister, father , mother, husband , wife , grandfather, grandmother, grandson, granddaughter

Second degree relatives : Maternal or paternal uncle or aunt, nephew or niece, first cousins, son in law , daughter in law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law

4. A potential donor must:

• Be in good overall health and physical condition
• Be older than 18 years of age and younger than 60 years of age
• Have a liver that is the right size for the recipient
• Have a blood type compatible with the recipient
• Have a near normal body weight (body mass index less than 35)

5. A potential donor must be free from:

• HIV infection
• Known viral hepatitis
• Active alcoholism with frequent and heavy alcohol intake
• Psychiatric illness
• A history of cancer
• Heart and lung disease requiring medication
• Diabetes
• A history of previous liver surgery