What Is a Living Kidney Organ Donation? (video/podcast)

There are multiple causes of kidney failure. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common, but other causes include genetic diseases, such as polycystic kidney disease, which develops when normal kidney tissue is replaced by multiple cysts.

When both kidneys fail, the first step for many patients is dialysis. Dialysis is a type of kidney failure treatment that helps remove extra fluid and waste from the blood. For most people, dialysis takes several hours and must be done multiple times a week for the rest of their life.

Ideally, a patient with kidney failure can get a kidney transplant and eliminate the need for dialysis. While life expectancy after a kidney transplant varies, typically the procedure can extend life expectancy by 10 years or more and greatly improve quality of life. 

The replacement kidney can come from either someone who has recently passed away or from a living donor who has two healthy kidneys and is willing to donate one. According to Dr. Lam, a kidney from a living donor may have several advantages.

“People who have a living donor kidney transplant tend to have better outcomes in terms of how long the kidney lasts,” says Dr. Lam. “And the success rate is really good, about 98% in one year.”

She also notes that people who receive a kidney from a living donor generally don’t have to wait as long for a kidney transplant as they would from a deceased donor. The average wait time for a deceased donor kidney is about five years, while the wait time for a living donor kidney depends on how long it takes the donor to undergo the evaluation process. Once the living donor is approved, surgery can be scheduled.

When a kidney failure patient has found a living donor, both surgeries are coordinated to happen at the same time.

“We start with the donor surgery first, and once the kidney is getting close to being removed, we start with the recipient surgery next door,” explains Dr. Lam. “We try to time it perfectly where we can take out the kidney and give it right to the recipient.”

Usually, the surgeon will leave both failed kidneys in the patient’s body, since removing them may increase the risk of bleeding and injury to the surrounding tissues. The surgeon places the new kidney in a different location in the lower abdomen.

The patient receiving the kidney is usually in the hospital for two to three days, while the donor typically stays for one to two days. Both can be up and walking a few hours after the procedure and both tend to do quite well after the recovery period.

After kidney transplantation, the recipient does need to be on immunosuppressive medications, which suppress the immune system so that their body does not reject the kidney. As time goes on, the amount of immunosuppression medications can be decreased.

Living donors can literally improve or even save other people’s lives without hindering their own. In general, donors should be age 18 or older and very healthy.

“We do multiple blood tests and imaging tests for our donors and our recipients. We want to make sure the donor is healthy enough to donate, but specifically to see if the recipient and a donor are good matches,” says Dr. Lam.

“At Scripps Center for Organ and Cell Transplantation, we have an extensive team that works diligently to expedite the process of living donor kidney transplant. We monitor our patients very closely and we strive for optimal results because we all really care about our patients and want them to do well,” she says.

For more information on becoming a living organ donor, visit Scripps Center for Organ and Cell Transplantation.

Follow San Diego Health on iTunes for the latest episodes on new medical technologies and wellness tips. We’re also on SoundCloud and Spotify.