How long is the wait for a liver?

1. We don’t know when a deceased liver donor with a suitable blood group, height and weight will become available
2. There may be many other patients with a similar blood group, and height and weight to you waiting for a liver at the same time
3. Some liver transplant centres have shorter average waiting times than others

An online personalised calculator, which has been developed by NHS Blood and Transplant, can help doctors and nurses communicate risk and benefit about transplantation to patients, and can help patients more easily understand the numbers and statistics presented to them in clinic. It helps visualise possible outcomes for patients from the point of listing (e.g. how long your wait might be) or point of transplant (e.g. how long your transplant may last) for deceased organ transplantation.

You'll find a link to the calculator on our ODT Clinical website. Patients should only use these tools in consultation with a medical professional.

Not all donated livers are the same – some might carry more risk than others. If you are willing to accept these higher risk livers, then you are likely to wait a shorter time on the list. 

Learn about the risks from a donated liver

In general, you won’t wait as long for a liver transplant if you:

• Have more severe liver disease
• Have blood group A
• Are taller than average

The more of the above that applies to you, the more likely it is that a deceased donor liver will be able to be offered to you soon after listing.