Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Procedure
Overview
A living-donor kidney transplant means a healthy person donates a kidney to someone with kidney failure. Both the donor and recipient can lead healthy lives with just one functioning kidney.
This method offers another option besides receiving a kidney from someone who has passed away. Any healthy individual—such as a family member, friend, or even a stranger—can donate a kidney. Below is a comparison of transplant sources:
| Donor Type | Percentage of U.S. Transplants | Example Donors |
|---|---|---|
| Living Donor | One-third | Relative, friend, stranger |
| Deceased Donor | Two-thirds | Organ donors after death |
A high demand exists for kidney transplants. Over 139,000 people joined the list for a donor kidney in 2021. Living-donor kidney transplants reduce wait times and increase the number of available organs.
Reasons for Undergoing the Procedure
People with advanced kidney disease or kidney failure cannot rely on their kidneys to remove waste from their blood. Without working kidneys, waste and extra fluid build up in the body, which can lead to serious health problems. Treatment options include using dialysis or getting a kidney transplant.
Kidney transplantation often provides more freedom in diet and usually results in a longer, healthier life than ongoing dialysis. A transplant can help someone avoid years of dialysis, which is demanding and impacts quality of life. There are two types of kidney donors:
| Donor Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Living Donor | A healthy person, often a relative or friend, donates a kidney. |
| Deceased Donor | The kidney comes from someone who has recently passed away. |
Advantages of a transplant from a living donor:
- Shorter wait time on the transplant list.
- May allow the patient to avoid starting dialysis.
- Often better long-term results and survival rates.
- The procedure can be planned in advance, reducing urgent surgeries,
Possible Complications
Before someone donates an organ, an evaluation process checks if they are healthy enough. This process helps spot risks early. Some possible problems from donation include:
- Pain or discomfort at the area of surgery.
- Infection at the surgical site.
- Excess bleeding during or after surgery.
- Blood clots that could form after surgery.
The recipient’s body can also reject the new kidney. Signs of organ rejection include fever, tiredness, less urine, or pain around the donated kidney. Anti-rejection medicines may cause side effects like unwanted hair growth, acne, weight gain, higher chance of infections, and sometimes certain types of cancer.
Steps to Get Ready
Before starting the living kidney donation process, people go through several important steps. First, donors select a transplant center, either by personal choice or from an insurance list. Next, a full health check occurs. This usually includes:
- A physical exam
- Imaging tests like X-ray, MRI, or CT
- Blood tests
- Cancer screening
- Psychological check
- Review of social and financial support
These checks make sure the donor and recipient are good matches and that the kidney donation process is as safe as possible.
What You Might Experience
Living kidney donation involves several important steps for both the donor and the transplant patient. Most living kidney donors are close relatives or people known to the recipient, such as friends or coworkers. Sometimes, a donor is not related or even known to the recipient; this is called a non-directed living donor.
The process starts at the transplant center. The person who wants to be a living donor undergoes thorough health checks and testing. These evaluations focus on making sure the donor is healthy and that the kidney will be a good match for the recipient. Common tests compare blood types and tissue markers between the donor and the transplant patient.
Matching Process Table
| Step | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Donor Evaluation | Health checks and blood/tissue testing |
| Compatibility Check | Blood and tissue types compared |
| Immune System Solutions | Treatments if there are mild mismatches |
| Paired Donation Option | Exchange kidneys with another donor-recipient pair if unmatched |
If the donor and recipient are not a perfect match, medical teams may use special treatments to help the patient’s body accept the new kidney and lower the chance of rejection. Another option for people who are not good matches is to join a kidney exchange program. Here, two or more pairs of donors and recipients swap kidneys so each recipient gets a kidney that is a good match.
Once all tests are complete and a match is found, the transplant center schedules the surgery. Typically, the kidney donation surgery (for the living donor) and the transplant surgery for the recipient happen on the same day.
During surgery, doctors place the new kidney in the lower belly area and attach its blood vessels to those in the patient’s body. The surgeon also connects the new kidney’s ureter—a tube that carries urine—to the patient’s bladder. Most of the time, the patient’s original kidneys remain unless they cause health problems.
After Surgery
- The transplant patient usually stays in the hospital for a few days up to a week.
- The health team at Healthnile monitors for any problems and helps you understand what medicines you need.
- It is important to watch for signs of infection, pain, or problems with the new kidney.
The living kidney donor also receives close monitoring and usually returns home within a few days. Life after living donation and transplant involves follow-up visits and some changes in daily habits, but many people return to their routines soon after.
Findings
A successful kidney transplant allows a person’s new kidney to clean waste from the blood, so dialysis is no longer needed. Wait times for a transplant can vary. Patients who receive kidneys from living donors often have shorter wait periods than those waiting for a deceased donor.
Success rates for kidney transplants are high. The majority of transplanted kidneys work well in the first year after surgery. Following the transplant, patients must:
- Take anti-rejection medicines as prescribed.
- Watch for possible infections, as the immune system is lowered.
- Schedule regular checkups, including skin and cancer screenings.
| Factor | Living Donor | Deceased Donor |
|---|---|---|
| Average Wait Time | Shorter | Longer |
| 1-Year Survival Rate | High | Slightly Lower |
