San Antonio’s University Health has pulled off a medical juggling act that sounds almost impossible: the nation’s first seven-pair living-donor liver transplant exchange, a tightly choreographed run of 14 surgeries that matched seven donors with seven recipients and saved seven lives. The operations unfolded over roughly seven weeks and wrapped with an emotional April 10 reunion where donors and recipients met face to face for the first time, capping one of the most intricate living-donor efforts in recent U.S. transplant practice.
Hospital touts a national first
In a news release, University Health billed the seven-pair exchange as a “first-in-the-nation” feat that highlights both the power of living donation and the intense logistical and surgical coordination required. A standard living-donor liver transplant typically needs at least four surgeons working at the same time, and stretching that out to seven such procedures over several weeks meant planning on a whole different level. To mark the milestone, hospital officials invited media to an April 10 meet-and-greet where donors, recipients, and their transplant teams shared the spotlight.
Emotional reunion for donors and recipients
According to KSAT, the April 10 gathering quickly turned from press event to tearful celebration. Donor Tana Lusty called the experience “This opportunity just absolutely means everything to me,” while recipient Norma Cardenas said the transplant gave her the chance to “go home and see my grandkids again” after beginning the process in November 2024. KSAT also reported that one donor, Robert McDonald, initially planned to donate to a friend but went forward even after the timing changed, a twist that shows how paired exchanges can reroute original plans and still end up saving lives.
One altruistic stranger kicked off the chain
University Health explained that six donors stepped up so that loved ones could receive transplants, while a seventh altruistic donor traveled from Kansas City to give part of his liver to someone he had never met, a move that effectively unlocked the entire chain. The hospital underscored that donors’ livers regenerate after surgery and credited advanced surgical techniques, along with a robust pool of willing donors, for making such a demanding schedule possible.
Living donation still rare across the country
Living-donor liver transplants remain a relatively small slice of national transplant activity. The OPTN/SRTR annual data report recorded around 603 living-donor liver transplants in 2022, and the Living Liver Foundation reported about 604 such procedures in 2024, underscoring how a single, large paired exchange can significantly expand options for patients who might otherwise face months or years of waiting. Those numbers help explain why transplant centers are leaning more on paired-exchange strategies to cut wait times and improve outcomes.
What it means for San Antonio patients
The city’s transplant program, a partnership between University Health and UT Health San Antonio, is one of the busiest in the country. UT Health Physicians notes that it is the second-largest living-donor liver transplant center in the United States. Local leaders told KSAT that the seven-pair exchange could give San Antonio patients a shot at life-saving surgery earlier than if they waited for a deceased donor organ…