Health Talk: How living donor liver transplants save children's lives

Editor's note: March 18 is China's National Protect Liver Day. CGTN talked to Dr Xia Qiang, a renowned liver surgeon and a leading figure in the field of hepatology in China. He is an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the president of Renji Hospital, affiliated with the School of Medicine under Shanghai Jiao Tong University. 

In 2022, a living donor liver transplantation was performed on a 58-day baby who was suffering from liver failure, which saved the girl's life.

Years of clinical experience prove that living liver donation is more suitable for young patients compared with deceased donor liver transplantation, according to Xia.

In China, there are strict regulations regarding living organ donation. Article 11 of the Rules of Human Organ Donation and Transplant issued by the State Council stipulates that the recipients of living organ donations are limited to the spouse, direct relatives, or distant blood relatives within three generations of the living organ donor.

In this video, Xia explains why living donor liver transplantation works better for children with severe liver diseases and how the organ donation and allocation system is managed in China.

Videographer: Li Jian

Video editor: Xu Wen

Cover design: Liang Qian