Guidelines for Becoming a Kidney Donor
What are the basic donor guidelines?
18 to 75 years old
In good physical and mental health – no major illnesses
Not "feeling pressured" to be a donor
Able to understand and comply with guidelines for surgery, recovery, and routine donor follow up
What determines if I’m a matching donor?
It all starts with blood type. Bob is type O. Compatible donors for Bob must be type O or type A2, a subtype of A.
At Beaumont, your screening for compatibility will include blood testing, tissue typing, and crossmatching.
Blood testing determines blood type.
Tissue testing, another type of blood screening, identifies genetic similarities or antigens that a donor and recipient have in common.
Crossmatching provides information about how the transplant recipient’s antibodies react to the donor kidney. Negative crossmatching means your kidney will be compatible with the recipient.
How long does it take to recover from living kidney donation?
Donors can usually leave the hospital one to two days after donation. Everyone recovers at their own pace. Most donors return to their normal lifestyle by three weeks after donation.
What will life be like with one kidney?
After kidney donation, your remaining kidney grows approximately 30 to 50% larger. After one to two years, it will do roughly the work of 1½ kidneys.
Who pays the medical bills?
All costs for medical services related to organ donation are submitted to the recipient's insurance. Your recipient's insurance typically covers all medical services related to your organ donation, including your evaluation, hospitalization, surgery, follow-up care, and treatment of any surgical complications.
Why is a kidney from a living donor better?
Imagine giving the gift of life! Donors are in a unique position to improve the quality of life of another person. There are more reasons to consider living donation:
Generally, a living related kidney provides a closer genetic match, increasing the chance the recipient’s body will accept the organ.
Typically, a closer-matched kidney will function for a longer time.
The recipient will have a shorter wait time for a kidney – sometimes months rather than years. Surgery is scheduled when convenient for both the donor and the recipient.
Receiving a kidney sooner means the recipient is often in better health, giving them an easier recovery.
Living kidney donation helps more than one person: donating a kidney to your recipient means another patient can move ahead on the transplant waiting list.
Will I have a scar, and how will it look?
In most cases, the donor’s kidney is removed through laparoscopic surgery known as a donor nephrectomy. Once the donor is placed under general anesthesia, a surgeon makes two to three small incisions and one larger incision in the abdomen through which the kidney is removed.