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Approximately 95,000 people in the United States are waiting for a kidney transplant. Receiving an organ from a living donor is the best way to live a healthy life for someone waiting for a new kidney. Approximately 6,000 people per year choose to donate one of their kidneys, sometimes to a family member and sometimes to a complete stranger. At the University of Chicago Medicine Kidney and Pancreas Program, I work with patients to help them understand living kidney donation.
Why would someone need to undergo an organ transplant to get a new kidney?
The kidneys remove toxins, regulate calcium and phosphorus, and produce hormones essential to health. When the kidneys fail and can no longer remove toxins from the body, patients become fatigued, lose their appetite, feel nauseous, and eventually become seriously ill. If their kidneys are functioning at 20 percent or less, or they are on dialysis, they can be placed on a transplant list. Unfortunately, there are not enough organs, so many patients spend years on the waiting list. For many kidney patients, the best chance of receiving a transplant is to find a healthy, living donor who meets a variety of criteria and agrees to donate one of their two healthy kidneys.
Why is a living donor kidney ideal?
Kidneys, unlike hearts and lungs, can come from living, healthy, willing donors. Living donors offer the best chance of survival for transplant patients. When receiving a kidney from a living donor, the organ is immediately given to the recipient within a few hours, minimizing the chance of complications during surgery and recovery. Unlike with organs from deceased donors, recipients of a kidney from a living donor usually know where the organ came from.
What provisions are in place to ensure donors can donate blood safely and freely?
Living donors undergo a series of evaluations, including blood tests, colonoscopies, cardiac screening, and other age-appropriate tests, to ensure they are physically and mentally healthy enough to undergo surgery. Transplant programs also evaluate donors to ensure they can maintain a healthy lifestyle and have an appropriate support system after surgery. Donors also have a dedicated support team made up of a nephrologist (kidney specialist), a social worker, and a primary care provider who is not involved in the transplant. Their job is to protect the donor's best interests and ensure that donors are not forced to donate their organs. It is illegal to offer money for organ donation in the United States, but donors can be reimbursed for travel, lodging, and wages for hospitalization during surgery.
How do I become a living kidney donor?
Organizations such as: Unos, The Gift of Hope NKR assists potential donors who are interested in donating a kidney. To learn the next steps to becoming a living donor at the University of Chicago Medicine, Please complete the living donor questionnaire.
Who is an ideal candidate for kidney donation?
Ideal donors come from all walks of life. They can even be complete strangers. The wait time to receive a kidney can be as long as 5-8 years. During that time, the patient's health may deteriorate and they may not be well enough to undergo transplant surgery. Knowing someone who can directly receive a kidney can significantly reduce the patient's wait time. Anyone can be a living kidney donor as long as they are over 18 years old and in overall physical and mental health. Read on for tips on how to find a living donor.
What is a living kidney donor kidney removal surgery like?
University of Chicago Medicine is one of the few centers in the United States that offers minimally scarred donor nephrectomy. The procedure involves a single small incision in the belly button through which instruments are inserted to remove the kidney. Most patients wake up with a small bandage on their belly button, which hides the scar. This minimally scarred nephrectomy is just as safe as a traditional laparoscopic procedure, which involves multiple small incisions and a longer extraction incision to remove the kidney. These minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures significantly reduce recovery time, and donors can often be discharged the next day.
If I want to donate my kidney but am not a match for a family member in need of a transplant, can I still help someone else?
If a donor is not a match for a recipient, they may be eligible to participate in paired kidney exchange (PKE) programs. These programs have large patient registries that allow them to match donors and recipients. National Kidney Registry (NKR) and Paired Kidney Donation Alliance We are committed to ensuring patients receive the optimal kidney transplant, resulting in the best outcomes for patients and donors. If a living donor's kidney is not a match for the selected recipient, the donor can donate the kidney to another patient on the waiting list in exchange for another kidney that is a better match for the patient. This “exchange” program can provide support and financial protection to living donors after they donate their organs.
What happens to a living donor after they donate their kidney?
After surgery, kidney donors have follow-up appointments immediately after surgery, and then six months, one year, and two years after donation to ensure their health remains stable after donation. Donors typically recover faster than recipients and report feeling glad they donated their organs to someone in need.
