|
Janet & David
Advantages of living donor transplants:
Recipient does not wait on a donor waiting list.
Living donor kidneys usually function immediately, while non-living donor's may not.
The recipient requires less medical care and can often leave the hospital sooner.
The risk of rejection is lessened.
The overall long-term success rates are much higher. One reason is that the living donors have been carefully screened and
are very healthy.
|
Because of the shortage of available organs, and the successful outcome following kidney transplants from living non-related
donors, transplants between spouses, friends and even strangers are being encouraged. Nearly one quarter of live donor transplants now come from donors that are not blood relatives.
To donate a kidney, donors must:
- Be in good health & free of chronic illness (diabetes, heart disease, etc.)
- Have two normal functioning kidneys
- Be willing to undergo a series of physical exams and tests such as:
- Chest X-ray
- Psychiatric evaluation
- Electrocardiogram
- Social service evaluation
- Blood studies
- CT scan (with contrast dye)
- Urine studies
- Have a psychological evaluation
- Be a “match” with the recipient
- Be over 18 years of age
Compatibility
Living donors and recipients undergo an extensive evaluation process.The recipient is selected according to the national rules
that govern the allocation of organs for transplantation. The recipient needs to have a “compatible” kidney donor. Being compatible
means that the recipient has no antibodies in their blood that would react against the donor kidney Compatibility between
donor and recipient is determined by the following blood tests:
| Blood Type Compatibility |
Recipient's
Blood Type |
Donor's
Blood Type |
| O |
O |
| A |
A or O |
| B |
B or O |
| AB |
A, B, AB or O |
- Blood typing*
- Tissue typing
- Cross matching
- Antibody screening
These tests will help to determine how well the donor’s organ will be accepted by the patient after transplant
