Living Kidney Donation
Frequently Asked
Questions
Are living donor kidney transplants common?
Most kidney transplant centers perform living donor transplants. At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 75 to 100 living donor transplants are performed each year.
Do living donor transplants offer any advantages
over deceased donor transplants?
A kidney from a living donor offers several benefits over a deceased donor organ:
• Receiving a kidney from a living donor keeps patients from long waits for a deceased donor kidney.
• Living donor transplants have a first-year success rate of 98.5 percent.
• Living donation surgeries can be scheduled in advance, which allows procedures to be performed under the
best circumstances for the patient and donor.
• The entire health history of a living donor is known and verifiable.
Who can donate?
To be a donor, you must be in good general health. You must be free from diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, kidney disease and heart disease. Gender and race do not matter. Individuals considered for living donation are typically between the ages of 18 and 68. A matching blood type is not a requirement for living kidney donation. Through our Kidney Paired Donation Program, it is possible to donate with mismatched blood or tissue.
Will kidney donation cause health problems for
a living donor?
Only healthy people may be donors. Life expectancy of donors is the same as that of people with two kidneys. A single kidney is able to meet the body’s needs very well. There are always possible risks with any surgery; however, these are reduced by the extensive evaluation process for all donors.
What testing will I have to complete?
Your evaluation will include laboratory tests such as blood type, tissue typing, urine collections, chest X-ray, EKG, CT scan of kidneys and any other testing deemed necessary by our transplant team.
Are there medications I should be careful about
using after donating my kidney?
You should always check with your doctor before taking medication. After donation, you should never take prescription or nonprescription NSAIDS, which include any medications with ibuprofen, such as Advil or Motrin, and medications with naproxen, such as Aleve. Also, many arthritis medications may be harmful to your remaining kidney.
Who pays my medical bills?
Your evaluation and surgery are paid for by the recipient’s medical insurance. However, some things to consider that are not covered are travel and lodging expenses (if any), and lost wages from work if you do not have sick leave or vacation time. Some donors may qualify for assistance with travel and lodging. The usual recovery time for a donor is two to four weeks. In some cases a donor may require additional recovery time.
How long will I be in the hospital?
Generally, donors are in the hospital for three days.
Where can I obtain more information about living
donor transplantation?
• Call Ohio State’s Pre-Transplant Office at 800-293-8965,
option 3
• Visit Ohio State’s living kidney donor webpage at
wexnermedical.osu.edu/KidneyDonor