A Colorado hospital has put living donor liver transplants on hold after a donor death, reports MSNBC. Ryan Arnold, 34, from South Dakota donated part of his liver to save his brother Chad’s life, but he ended up dying four days after his donation.
Ryan, an orthodontist, fell into a coma after suffering cardiac arrest, but the coroner hasn’t yet determined a cause of death. University of Colorado Hospital has temporarily halted all their living donor liver transplants while they investigate the case.
Ryan is survived by three young sons and his wife, Shannon. Chad, 38, is continuing his recovery from liver disease. Living donor liver transplants are somewhat rare in the U.S., occurring only 4,126 times since 1989. The hospital has performed 141 successful living donor liver transplants.