Living Donor Transplant

For Providers/Transplant Programs

Patient Educational Material Template

What are the advantages of living donation over deceased donation?

Getting a kidney from a living donor can have some benefits:

  • Sometimes, the donor is a family member who has similar genes. When the genes match, there’s less risk of the body rejecting the new kidney.
  • When someone gives a kidney while still alive, the kidney can start working right away. With a kidney from someone who has died, it might take a while to start working, and the patient may need dialysis in the meantime.
  • Doctors can test possible donors to find the best match for the person who needs a kidney. The transplant can happen when it’s a good time for both the donor and the person getting the kidney.
  • Usually, a kidney from a living donor lasts longer than one from someone who has died. On average, it lasts about 20 years compared to a kidney from some who has died which lasts about 11 years. Sometimes, it might last even longer, but other times it might not last as long. 
Organ donation concept, kidney donation

What would a donor expect after donation

Organ donation concept, kidney donation
  • After donating a kidney, the time your donor spends in the hospital will depend on how quickly he or she recovers and the type of surgery. Usually, people stay in the hospital for 1 to 3 nights.
  • Living with only one kidney is okay and normal. The donor will have a normal life after the surgery as long as they have been cleared for donation by a doctor. After the donated kidney is removed, the remaining kidney will work harder to make up for the missing kidney.
  • Donating a kidney will not affect your donor’s lifespan or increase the risk of kidney problems. Most people with one kidney live normal and healthy lives, but it’s important to talk to your transplant team about the risks of donation.
  • Some studies show that living donors may be more likely to have high blood pressure, so it’s recommended that potential donors speak with their doctor about the risks of living donation.

Will my donor regret donating?

After giving a kidney, some living donors feel many different emotions. They might feel happy and relieved, but also nervous or sad. Sometimes, donors don’t have enough time to think about everything they are feeling before the surgery. It’s normal for donors to have strong feelings after the transplant is done.

Most donors have a good experience and think positively about donating. Studies show that between 80 and 97 percent of donors say they would still choose to donate if they could go back in time.

We don’t have a lot of information about how donating a kidney affects people mentally, but some studies have found that:

  • Less than 1% of donors regretted their decision
  • Most donors said their relationship with the recipient either improved or did not change
  • 95% of donors were generally happy and the majority were happier after donation, only 3 to 10% felt depressed and 7% experienced anxiety after donation
  • Many donors expressed improved self-esteem and satisfaction
  • 16% were worried about how donating would affect them financially
  • 3 to 15% were worried about their health after donation.

Reference

  1. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/living-donation
  2. https://transplantinfo.com/all-videos-gallery/
  3. Clemens KK, Thiessen-Philbrook H, Parikh CR, Yang RC, Karley ML, Boudville N, Ramesh Prasad GV, Garg AX; Donor Nephrectomy Outcomes Research (DONOR) Network. Psychosocial health of living kidney donors: a systematic review. Am J Transplant. 2006 Dec;6(12):2965-77. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2006.01567.x. PMID: 17294524.