Man, woman donate parts of their livers to loved ones

BOSTON — In a medical first for New England, a Vermont man and a Boston woman donated parts of their livers to seriously ill loved ones.

The operations last week were the first adult-to-adult liver transplants involving living donors in the region.

Surgeons at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center transplanted large portions of the donors’ livers for patients who suffered terminal liver disease.

The Vermont man gave his gift of life to his wife, while the Boston woman gave part of her organ to her brother, hospital officials told The Boston Globe.

None of the patients was identified. Both donors were in stable condition Saturday. One of the recipients was in stable condition and another was in the intensive care unit, according to hospital spokeswoman Maura McLaughlin.

The operations, each of which required eight hours and four surgeons, took place Thursday and Friday.

A hospital spokeswoman said Friday three of the patients were in stable condition and the fourth, the brother of the Boston woman, had required additional surgery.

Unlike most human organs, the liver can regenerate itself. Doctors say one liver, split in half, can support two people.

Organ donation advocates said the advance could ease the pressure caused by a shortage of livers.

“This is fantastic news, because there’s a severe shortage, and this means that more lives will be saved,” said Alan Brownstein, president of the American Liver Foundation.

He said 4,000 liver transplants are performed annually but there are 11,000 people on waiting lists. About 1,000 die before receiving transplants.

He also said the need for liver transplants could triple in the next 10 to 20 years because of an epidemic of liver-destroying hepatitis C.