Transplant Options
There are currently only enough organs from deceased donors available for about 13 percent of the more than 83,000 people on the national kidney transplant waiting list. Although there are not enough kidneys to meet the demand, at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, you have other options, such as living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT).
Although LDKT does not replace traditional deceased donor kidney transplantation, it may offer the possibility of a kidney to an additional 40 to 50 percent of patients on the waiting list.
Benefits of Live Donor Kidney Donation
Living donor kidney transplantation is an elective procedure performed when the recipient is at his or her healthiest point. This way, he or she avoids the continued physical deterioration that happens while waiting for a suitable kidney replacement. If the transplant occurs before the start of dialysis, the outcomes are even better.
By avoiding the use of a deceased donor kidney, LDKT helps to shorten the waiting list and allows another patient on that list to benefit from transplantation. The recipient benefits by getting a transplant faster compared to being on the waiting list.
You can become a living kidney donor because you only need one kidney to lead a perfectly healthy life.