Living Kidney Donation

You’re Giving the Gift of Life 

By becoming a live donor, you shorten the time a recipient spends on the kidney transplant waiting list. You also increase the likelihood of successful transplantation. Survival rates go up when a kidney comes from a live donor. You also help another person on the wait list. Your recipient comes off the list, so someone else will be higher on the list when a deceased donor’s kidney becomes available.

Your Procedure Will Be Minimally Invasive 

We perform laparoscopic surgery with robotic assistance for kidney donors. This means we make several small incisions to insert a camera and surgical tools to remove the kidney, instead of traditional large incisions. You’ll have less discomfort, a faster recovery and smaller scars than you would have with conventional open surgery. Most kidney donors go home from the hospital in a few days and can return to their normal daily activities within weeks.

Your Life Expectancy Won’t Change

Donating a kidney doesn’t change your life expectancy. In fact, studies show that people who donate a kidney outlive the average population. Twenty years after donating, 85% of kidney donors were still alive. The expected survival rate was 66%. This may be because only healthy people are approved to become donors. Better longevity could also be due to the fact that donors take additional health precautions after donating a kidney.

There Is Minimal Cost to You

As a donor, your financial burden will be low. A recipient’s insurance company pays for nearly all expenses. However, they may not pay for things like pain medication. Our financial coordinator will help you find financial resources if you encounter expenses that aren’t covered.

While you won’t have to pay for your medical care, there may be costs associated with lost wages due to time spent missing work, as well as lodging and transportation. Most potential donors can help offset some of the out-of-pocket expenses by applying for financial assistance through the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC). 

You May Experience Complications 

Kidney donation is a low-risk procedure. However, low-risk doesn’t mean that it’s risk-free. Complications happen less than 5% of the time. But as with any surgical procedure, there is a small possibility of:

We take every precaution to make your surgery is as safe as possible. If complications do occur, they’re usually short-term and we’re able to manage them. We will teach you how to recognize complications during your recovery.

Death is Possible 

If you have complications, death is possible. However, this is extremely rare. The National Kidney Registry reports that in the U.S., only three deaths occur out of 10,000 live donor transplants. This means the mortality rate is just 0.03%.

You May Have to Make Lifestyle Changes 

You may need to make some lifestyle changes as you prepare to donate a kidney. For example, you will need to avoid recreational drugs and tobacco. Alcohol consumption is allowed up to six weeks before surgery.

You May Have Some Pain

Pain is normal after surgery. But we will help manage any discomfort you might feel.  

All donors must:

In certain situations, you must meet additional requirements to become a live donor. This is the case if you: 

You cannot be a live donor if you:

• Are under age 18.
• Have any conditions that may jeopardize your health by kidney donation, including pregnancy, obesity (BMI >35.) or being underweight.
• Have chronic kidney problems.
• Have heart disease, diabetes, uncontrolled blood pressure or cancer.

If you’re unable to donate your kidney to a relative or loved one because you’re not a compatible match, we can help you pursue a paired kidney exchange. In this type of donation, you make your kidney available to a recipient who is compatible with you. And their loved one, who is compatible with your loved one, donates a kidney to them. 

Paired exchange programs can help when the donor and recipient have incompatible blood types or when the recipient has made antibodies to the donor’s HLA antigens (tissue type). We offer a desensitization program to patients with high levels of antibodies to HLA antigens that are reducing their ability to find a compatible kidney. 

At Lahey, we participate in The National Kidney Registry (NKR).

We first do blood and urine tests. It the results don’t show a reason not to proceed with your evaluation, we set up a meeting with our transplant team. First, you meet with an independent living donor advocate (ILDA). They are not part of your recipient’s transplant team. Their job is to make sure your best interests and safety are protected. 

Next, you meet with a transplant surgeon, a transplant nephrologist (kidney specialist) and others. The surgeon will talk about the procedure you’ll undergo and give you a chance to ask questions. 

That’s followed by imaging and other tests, including: 

• Additional bloodwork 
• An abdominal CT
• Chest X-ray 
• Electrocardiogram (EKG) 

You may also need a stress test, and depending on your age and medical history, other tests and medical appointments. 

If our team approves you to donate your kidney, you may need to make some lifestyle changes. For example, before surgery, you must avoid recreational drugs and tobacco. Doctors may advise you to stop taking certain medications before surgery, as well. You may consume alcohol in moderation up to six weeks before surgery. 

Your Arrival and Pre-Surgery Care

We usually schedule live donor surgery in the morning. We admit you and your kidney recipient to the hospital’s pre-op area two hours before surgery. Your family may accompany you. 

Before surgery, we start an IV and may need to shave your abdominal area. Once we take you into the operating room (OR), your family waits in the surgical waiting area. The live kidney donor coordinator meets with them there and discusses a plan to keep them updated on the progress of your surgery.

In the Operating Room (OR)

Our anesthesiologists will sedate you in the OR. Once you’re asleep, the team inserts a tube in your throat that connects to a machine (ventilator) that helps you breathe. You’ll also have a tube (Foley catheter) inserted into your urethra and bladder to allow urine to drain during the surgery.

We use a laparoscopic procedure and robotic assistance to remove your kidney. This helps you avoid a large incision associated with traditional, open surgery. You have less discomfort, a faster recovery and smaller scars. To perform your surgery, we insert a camera and other instruments through several small incisions and isolate your kidney. Once isolated and free, we can remove the kidney through a 3-inch incision.

A separate surgical team will prepare the kidney recipient to receive their new organ at the same time. 

You get up and walk within 24 hours of your operation. 

Before we can discharge you, you must: 

Activity Restrictions 

You won’t have to change your diet. But you should drink at least two to three liters of water daily for the first month after surgery. As soon as you get clearance from your surgeon, you can resume sexual activity and drink alcohol in moderation. 

Recovery Timeline 

Here’s what you can generally expect during your recovery: 

• In two to three days: You go home from the hospital.
• In 14 days: You can drive a car, after clearance from the transplant team.
• In six weeks: You can participate in low-impact sports, but you cannot swim or use hot tubs for eight weeks. You can lift up to 20 pounds.
• In six to 12 weeks: You may return to work and resume all of your normal activities.

Follow-Up Care 

Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) requires donors to have follow-up appointments after surgery at: 

• Two weeks 
• Six months 
• 12 months 
• 24 months 

We also recommend that you get yearly physical checkups after your 24-month follow-up appointment.